Behind the Lies
by appa-appa-away
Summary: A hidden truth. A twisted secret. An epic battle. A choice to protect loved ones. The ultimate sacrifice. A life-changing journey. Azula OCness, Zutara and lots more shippings. List inside. Edited and reposted.
1. The Hidden Truth

**NOW EDITED AND REPOSTED!**

**This story takes place after **_**Book Three, Chapter Twelve, The Western Air Temple. **_

**The main ship of the story is Zutara though, and there is a hell of a lot of it, but it isn't hogging the camera the whole time – there is an actual story developing here! Other ships this story will****contain; Sukka, Taang, Shangla (you'll figure out who this is by the end of the chappie), Sokkla, implied Yuekka, one sided Kataang, one sided Maiko (of course I'm not going to make it fully either of those 2!) and... probably a few others. Well, there you go and like I said earlier, lots of Azula OCness. **

**XD! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters. But I do own any original characters and storylines that are in this story. Btw, this is the only disclaimer I'm having in this story. I think you'll all agree that it gets annoying when you have to keep rewriting the disclaimer. So there.**

* * *

**1. The Hidden Truth**

Zuko really had to think about all of this. Everyone seemed to be fine with him being a part of the gang. That is, everyone except for Katara.

No matter what Zuko did, every time he walked past her, she gave him an evil glare, as if she thought he was going to do something bad. The thing was, she _did_ think he was going to do something bad.

She always just seemed to be so sweet until it came to him. Then it was all yelling and death threats!

"_You might have everyone else here buying your… transformation. But you and I both know that you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past. So let me tell you something right now. If you take one step backwards, make one slip up, give me one reason to think that you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your precious destiny any more, because I'll make sure it ends, right then and there! Permanently!"_

Zuko was still getting chills racing up and down his spine at the memory of that incident!

"She's worse than Mai!" he thought out loud before he left his room to give Aang his first firebending lesson.

He walked out of his room and headed for a courtyard that they had picked out and cleared for firebending practice. As he passed along a corridor, Katara bounded out of her room and ran head long into him.

She knocked him to the ground and landed on top of him.

"Uh… sorry," she apologized as she rolled off of him. She got her hair out of her face and realized who he was. "Oh… would you watch where you're going?! I almost broke my neck!"

Katara jumped up and walked away with a huff, leaving Zuko to get himself off the ground.

He walked into the courtyard to find Aang and Sokka talking.

"Hi Zuko! Are we ready for our first training session?"

"Yea, I don't think there's anything else that involves either you or me that needs doing," he shrugged as Katara appeared. She turned away from him and stuck her nose in the air. "Unless Miss Perfect over there has any objections," he shouted loud enough for everyone to hear, "then I don't see why we shouldn't just get straight into it."

"Urgh! What did you just call me?!" Katara rounded on him.

_Exactly the reaction I'd been expecting._

"I called you _'Miss Perfect'_." He planted his hands on his hips as he said it.

The waterbender glared at him. "Well, at least I don't go around knocking people over and trying to break their necks, Mr. Bulldozer!"

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me!" she snapped.

"Hey, I was walking! You're the one who decided to come bounding out of your bedroom!"

"Yea, whatever, Flame Boy!"

"Oh! Why don't you go and splash around in the fountain for a while?!" he shouted.

"Fine!" she yelled. With that, she rounded on her heals and strutted away, back inside the temple, slamming the door behind her.

"Jeez, what's with her?" Sokka asked in shock.

"Who cares?! C'mon Aang, show me what you've got! Any amount of firebending you can manage!"

Aang could tell that Zuko was already in a bad mood and he had already figured out that he was naturally short tempered. With that in mind, he did not hesitate to obey his new master's instruction. He breathed in and lunged forward, extending a hand in a punching motion. But all that happened was a small puff of smoke issued from his knuckles.

He straightened up and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"Jeez, Twinkletoes, I thought you stunk at earthbending, but this is just shocking!" Toph laughed. "Hey, Firefly, I think you've got some serious work to do."

"What did you just call me?" Zuko asked her, cocking his eyebrow.

"Firefly," she shrugged.

"It's all right, Zuko, she gives everyone a nickname. I'm sure you've already figured out that I'm Twinkletoes!" Aang laughed.

"… Whatever," the Fire Prince dismissed the matter.

He ordered Aang to try firebending again, but the Avatar only achieved the same result. But Zuko was persisting; he kept making Aang do it again and again. He gave a demonstration every few attempts and slowly, Aang's smoke became thicker and he eventually started making sparks.

"Great, a few more years and you might be able to fight Momo," he sighed sarcastically as they finished the training session.

"Ok… thanks Zuko," Aang smiled as the firebender wandered back to his room with a loud sigh.

"What's with him?" Sokka asked.

Aang sighed and disappeared to go and get ready for lunch.

"I think Sugar Queen is giving Firefly a hard time settling in," Toph shrugged casually.

"Meh, that'll teach him for being a jerkbender! Ha, ha! Jerkbender! I still got it!" Sokka wiped a fake tear from his eye and Toph rolled her blind ones.

"I'm gonna go and help Katara in the kitchen," she told him as she left, being carried by Haru because of the burns on her feet.

"What's with her?"

* * *

As everyone sat down for lunch, Aang noticed that Katara was continuously glaring at Zuko. The Fire Prince, on the other hand, kept his eyes on his food, although his face held a scowl.

"So… how is everyone?" Aang tried to start a bit of conversation.

"We're fine," Zuko and Katara said at the same time. The Prince's head shot up and he and the waterbender glared daggers at each other.

"Um… are you two all right?" the Avatar asked as the two older teens continued their staring competition. They both looked away from each other and back towards Aang at the same time.

"We're fine, Aang," Zuko assured him.

Katara remained silent for the rest of the meal.

"What's with her?" Sokka asked the Earth Kingdom boys he was sitting with.

They all shrugged and Toph whispered to him, "I think they're about to start fighting again."

"Why?"

"I just feel that Katara wants to scream at him for something and he wants to be a smart ass about it. I kinda want them to start fighting; when they started yelling earlier, it was actually pretty entertaining."

"You do know we can hear you, right?" Katara sighed.

"Yes, I can feel your heart beat pumping with rage," Toph smiled.

"Urgh!" Katara got up and left the eating area.

"What's with her?" Sokka asked again.

"I wish I knew," Zuko grumbled, as he too stood up and left in the opposite direction.

"What's with him?"

"Oh, Sokka, you are the biggest pain in the butt," Toph sighed as she indicated to Aang to come and do some earthbending training with her and Haru.

"Yea, Sokka. That's kinda getting really annoying right now," Aang smiled apologetically as he left with the two earthbenders.

"Jeez! I mean seriously! What is with everyone?!"

The Duke and Teo sighed.

* * *

As Zuko went back to his room, he couldn't help but think that it was his own fault that Katara hated him.

_Jeez, if I don't figure out how to make us get along, then this is going to be one rough stay._

_I guess it's kinda my own fault that she doesn't trust me now. I let her trust me in Ba Sing Se and then I just betrayed her like that._

He thought about it. It was actually very admirable the way she was so strong willed. And he was impressed by her confidence. She really didn't bother hiding her feelings and opinions for him; she hated him and that was the plain, ugly truth.

_I guess that it would be alright if we could just get along. I think I actually quiet like her._

_Like? That's a bit of an understatement, don't you reckon? _

_What?! What's that suppose to mean?!_

_You don't just like Katara._

_Meaning?_

_You like, like Katara._

_Uh, right. You wish!_

_You have a crush on her!_

_Do not! That's a load of – _

_Zuko and Katara sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_

_Ew! Hell no! What on earth would give you an idea like that?_

_She expresses herself. You like it when girls express themselves, especially when it's to you. But you have to like the girl in general first, and you just admitted it yourself; you quite like Katara._

_Well, that doesn't mean that I'm in love with her, it just means – _

_Ha! I never said you were in love with her; I only said you had a crush! You just acted as though you were being accused of being in love with her, which means you __**do**__ love her!_

_What?! Don't be ridiculous! I'm not in love with Katara._

_Oh, say it and mean it! I dare you!_

_I. Don't. Like. Katara._

_No, you don't like her; you love her! _

_Stop being stupid!_

_I'm not the stupid one; you are!_

_Stop accusing me! _

_Then tell me you don't love her!_

_I don't love… I don't love… I don't…_

_You can't do it!_

_I…_

"Would you watch where you're going!?" Katara shouted, as they ran straight into each other once again. Katara dropped an armful of dishes to the ground and Zuko quickly helped her pick them up.

"Ok, that time, it _was_ my fault," he admitted, "I'm sorry."

"Whatever!" she snapped, as she snatched the dishes out of his hands.

"Hey, I'm only trying to help!"

"Well, I don't need your help!" she yelled.

"Ok! Ok!" He put his hands up defensively.

He walked away from where she was and reached his room. He walked in and shut the door.

"Jeez, she really _is _worse than Mai!" he gasped.

_Zuko loves Katara! Zuko loves Katara! Zuko loves – _

_Ok! Ok! Jeez, you are one persistent little pain in the butt!_

_Admit it and then I'll leave you alone!_

_Uh… but I… oh, fine._

_Say it!_

_I love Katara._

_I said __**say**__ it!_

_But – _

_Do it!_

"I love Katara!" he announced to the room.

_And I'm never gonna let you forget it._

"Oh jeez, what did I just do?"

_You admitted it. You're never gonna be able to deny it now!_

_Fine. Be like that then. But fine, as long as this stays between you and me._

_Deal._

_Good. This must stay the hidden truth._

* * *

The next morning, Zuko found himself trying to be as nice to Katara as he possibly could.

"Do you want some help with the dishes?" he offered after breakfast.

"I don't need your help," she informed him, bluntly.

Zuko felt a pang of hurt as she turned him down.

He took Aang for firebending training and when Katara came by to watch them, he made sure he concentrated on his student.

"Hey! What did I just say, Aang? Fire comes from the breath – not the muscle!" Zuko called out to him as he punched an invisible target.

He was still only producing sparks and it was really starting to get on Zuko's nerves.

"C'mon Aang! You can do it! Do it!"

Aang grunted and made a hard blow and an explosive fistful of fire pulsed through his fist and Zuko found himself needing to duck out of the way to avoid being hit.

"Wow! I did it!" Aang smiled.

"Shit… that scared the shit out of me," Zuko panted as he got over his state of shock from almost having been burnt to a crisp.

"Aang?! Are you ok?!" Katara asked worriedly from where she stood.

"I'm fine, Katara!" he smiled back to her.

"Aang, do you think you could do that again?" Zuko asked.

"Uh… I-I don't know. I guess… I could try," he shrugged.

"Have a go," Zuko urged.

"Ok… do you wanna stand back?"

"Yea, that's probably a good idea," Zuko nodded and he backed away a little.

Aang took in a deep breath and concentrated as hard as he could. He lunged forward and punched the air as he breathed out again.

The Fire Prince waited, but nothing happened.

"Sorry, Zuko, I think I lost it," he sighed.

"Well, you had it! That means you can find it again," Zuko told him, "keep trying, Aang. Go again!"

The Avatar nodded and took his stance. He lunged forward and punched, but only a puff of smoke issued from his fist; not even a spark.

"Again!" Zuko ordered.

Aang tried again. He tried several times over, but never exceeded a spark.

"Alright, Aang, that's enough for today. You did a good job," Zuko sighed, "we'll see if we can get that more dangerous stuff happening again, tomorrow."

"Yea, I guess," Aang slumped his shoulders.

Zuko was about to walk off when Aang let out an angry grunt. He lunged in every direction, tying to at least make something happen.

"Aang, give it a rest," he advised, as smoke surrounded the boy.

But Aang wouldn't stop. He wanted to do something. He needed to know that he could still do it. He lunged and breathed and lunged and breathed again, aiming in every direction he could, begging the fire to come to him.

"Aang, stop it! You're gonna get someone hurt!" Zuko warned.

"I can do it!" he said out loud.

He was moving around in circles, as he tried to shoot flames and as Zuko saw a particularly large set of sparks leave his fist and as he turned in the direction of Katara – who had moved forward to try and get him to stop – Zuko knew exactly what was about to happen, and he knew it wasn't going to be good.

"Katara!"

Aang's circular movement pointed in Katara's exact direction and the waterbender was only an arm's length away. The Avatar's eyes widened in fear when he saw Katara's scared face as the fire burst through his fingertips and headed straight for her.

The waterbender screamed in fright and squeezed her eyes shut.

And suddenly she was on the ground, but she could not feel any burns.

Opening her eyes she realized that Zuko was on top of her and Aang was shouting something to her in worry.

"Katara?! Katara, are you alright?! I didn't mean to do it to you! I'm sorry! I'm-I'm, uh –"

"Zuko! What are you doing?!" she shouted at the Fire Prince.

The firebender looked at her in dismay for a second, "I'm saving you from getting burnt!"

"Well, I'm not burnt, so you can get off of me now!" she shoved him off her and stood up and huffed away towards the kitchen area.

"Katara?!" Aang was almost in tears – he had been so nervous about this firebending. He knew something was going to happen.

"Leave her, Aang," Zuko told him.

The Avatar nodded and hung his head.

"Jeez, that girl is feisty!" Zuko commented as he stared after the storming girl.

"Oh, I knew I'd screw up again! Why do I always have to do something wrong?!" Aang groaned.

"Forget it, Aang. But… I thought I was agro when it came to firebending; you've set a new record for sure!" he almost laughed.

Aang smiled a little, but it wasn't a very convincing one.

They walked over by the fountain where Toph was sitting with Sokka, as she soaked her burnt feet.

"How are the burns?" Zuko asked guiltily.

"Getting better. Slowly," she sighed, "but, they're on their way."

"I'm sorry," he said, again, for the millionth time since he had caused them.

The earthbender just shrugged and then changed the subject.

"Do either of you two know what got into Katara? She just huffed by a second ago and she wouldn't answer us when we asked what was wrong."

"Yea, and she wouldn't tell me if she was going to start making lunch or not!" Sokka exclaimed indignantly.

Zuko rolled his eyes at the incompetent water boy.

_Does he think of anything other than his stomach?!_

"Aang kinda made an explosion in training, but he couldn't do it again afterwards, no matter how hard he tried," Zuko explained, "I told him that was enough training for today and…"

The Prince looked at the young boy and the Avatar finished, "I kept trying and I got really angry at myself for not being able to do it. Katara tried to make me calm down, but I kept going and then… it happened again and she almost got burned."

"Oh, so she's upset because you almost burned her," Toph comprehended.

"No, she's not angry at Aang. She's angry at me, because I saw what was about to happen and I jumped on top of her to get her out of the way!" Zuko informed her in frustration. "I don't get it! I saved her and all she does is yell at me some more!"

"Give it a rest, Firefly," Toph laughed, "she'll come round."

"You know, Zuko, maybe you should go and talk to her," Sokka suggested as he patted his grumbling belly.

"That could probably work, but she'll probably just yell at me more. But hey, I'll try," Zuko agreed and he started walking towards the kitchen area.

But before he was out of sight, Sokka called out to him, "Hey! Zuko!"

"Yea?"

"Can you ask her if she's started lunch yet?" he smiled cheerily.

Zuko sighed, "Yea, whatever."

He walked to the kitchen and Katara didn't notice it was him until he spoke.

"What is with you?"

Her head shot up, "Oh, I though you were Sokka!" she gasped. Her expression and tone changed, "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you keep bitching at me," he told her.

"Uh, bitching at you? Let me see; you chased us half way around the world, you tried to capture Aang a heap of times, you stole my mother's necklace, you tied me to a tree, you made me trust you and then you betrayed me in Ba Sing Se, you almost got Aang killed that night, you sent an assassin after us, you burnt Toph's feet and you've pushed me to the ground three times in less than forty eight hours! Why the hell should I _not_ bitch at you?!"

"Look, I don't get you! Everyone else seems to trust me fine, it's just you! Why won't you just trust me?!" he shouted, feeling his voice starting to crack. He was definitely heading towards tears, but he couldn't understand why. For some reason, not being accepted by this girl was tearing him apart.

"I was the first one to trust you! In Ba Sing Se! You betrayed me! There is no way I'm gonna trust you!" she yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Zuko felt his gut twist itself into a knot as her ocean blue eyes bore into his golden ones. He stared back uncertainly and slowly felt himself becoming lost in her gaze. Katara turned her back to him and he came out of his daydream. Shaking his head to rid himself of the dazed feeling, he kept talking.

"Listen, I've changed. Can't you just accept that?" he tried to reason. "I promise I'm not going to betray you again. Why can't you just move on?"

She kept her back to him and stayed silent as her chocolate brown hair swung over her shoulder as she got out some pans to start making lunch.

"I'm not proud of what I did before. There are a lot of things that I hate myself for, right from betraying you in Ba Sing Se and for trying to capture Aang in the first place, to…to…" he trialed off and Katara rounded on him.

"To what, Zuko?" she snarled.

"Urgh! To not being able to understand how girls think!" he ranted, shrugging his broad shoulders in helplessness.

Katara smirked, "Our minds are complicated, mainly because we actually _use_ them."

"And what is that suppose to mean?" he asked, grateful that she had changed her tone. It was still negative, but at least she wasn't yelling any more.

"You're a guy. You don't think with you head, you think with your –"

"Katara! Have you started making lunch yet or not?!" Sokka demanded as he stomped into the kitchen. He stopped when he saw the firebender goggling at his sister and Katara glaring back, "Uh… should I come back later?"

"Uh, you sexist little –"

"Hey, you're the one who started it! If you don't know how a girl's mind works, then keep out of it!"

"For your information, there are a fair number of guys who think with their heads! Only the cheep, good-for-nothing guys think with their –"

"Wow! You two, where is this conversation going?!" Sokka cut in before Zuko could finish his sentence.

"Why don't you ask him?!" Katara pointed at Zuko. With that, she turned and walked away.

"What did you do?!" Sokka almost laughed at seeing his sister in such a fitful state.

"Never you mind, Sokka, never you mind," he sighed as Katara walked away, her hair bouncing around her shoulders and her back like chocolate waves. Zuko felt his gut twist even more and for a minute, he had the urge to just go after her and make her yell at him again.

_Why do you want her to yell at you again?_

_She just seems so strong when she does it. And I like the sound of her voice._

_You are truly weird. I knew I shouldn't have let you listen to your uncle._

_Hey, don't forget; you are me! You were listening to him as well. You're just the half of me that didn't want to._

_And you're the stupid half for having listened to him._

_Meh, get over yourself… or your half. Whichever it is. Anyways, should I go and make her yell at me some more?_

_Uh… suit yourself, but I get the feeling that, this time, she'll just end up slapping you._

_Good point._

"Zuko!" Sokka waved a hand in front of his face.

"Wha- oh, sorry, deep in thought," he laughed nervously, "sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you had asked if she had started making lunch yet!" he said, exasperated.

"… Do you ever think about anything other than your stomach?" Zuko sighed.

"Just answer the question! I'm hungry!"

"I didn't get a chance to ask, but she was getting the pans ready, so I think she's starting now," Zuko said.

Sokka smiled and ran after his sister.

Zuko went back to his room and sat down on the foot of his bed.

_Jeez, why do I want her to yell at me for? If I want to hear her voice, why don't I just try talking normally to her?_

_Because she won't talk normally back. That girl likes yelling at you._

_I noticed, but how can I make her actually like me? Just like, not love…not yet, anyway._

_She'll come round in her own good time. Just try and act normal around her and try not to think about those things that you've done to her in the past. Try and avoid even talking about it._

_Fair enough. But remember, this is our little secret._

_Whatever. We'll keep it the hidden truth._

And right then and there, Zuko promised himself that he would try and stop thinking about the past. He had to move on, and if he could do it, Katara could too.

* * *

Azula cried.

She sat in a tight ball in the darkest corner of her room, away from the door and her bed in nothing; she was completely naked.

_Why is this happening to me? _she thought, _Why is Dad doing this to me? _

She willed herself to painfully reflect on what had just happened to her.

She had been listening to her father badmouthing Zuko;

"…Bloody traitor and a disgrace to the whole entire nation. I should never have let him back! I swear, if he shows his scared face here again, I'll kill him with my own two hands!"

When Azula had had enough, and as unwise as she knew her decision was, she spoke up.

"Why do you always have to talk about him like _that_? Why do you always want to hurt him? What makes him so weak? What –?"

Fire Lord Ozai backhanded her so hard so fast she almost wouldn't have noticed had it not been for the pain it had left. It had hurt and she had let out a cry of pain when he did it, but Princess Azula was not at all surprised at her father's actions, as this had happened many times before.

"You dare speak up against me? You dare defend your brother? You dare –"

"_You _dare speak so cruelly about your own son? Your own flesh and blood?" she had cut him off – another bad choice.

"He is no son of mine! That _son of a bitch _is just a filthy rogue and you're a –"

"He is _not _a filthy rogue and _don't_ you give _me_ _"You're a…a…" __whatever_ the hell you were about to call me!" she had shot back.

Another backhander – this time harder.

"Why do you do this to me? To him? To us? Why do you treat everyone as if you're too good for them and like they're scum?! Why do you just sit back and order people around?! Why don't you just do your own dirty work, instead of getting everyone else to do it for you?!" she'd screamed at him, losing control.

Bad move.

The Fire Lord had sent a powerful bolt of lightning at her and it had made contact with her chest when she hadn't managed to fully block it, pushing all the air out of her lungs and sending her flying backwards.

He'd walked up to her, and then, drawing a dagger from beneath his robes, pulled the crouching girl's head back by her hair and held the blade to her throat.

"DON'T YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT, YOU LITTLE _BITCH_! DO NOT QUESTION ME! I AM YOUR FATHER AND YOUR FIRE LORD! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT?!" he'd bellowed at his terrified daughter.

Azula had known her life was on the line. She had known that if she spoke out of term again, her father would have killed her.

"I-I-I'm sorry…" she stuttered as tears rolled down her cheeks, "you're right… I'm sorry…"

But Azula had known her father wouldn't just accept her apology and let it go – there would be some sort of punishment.

"Admiral Shang returned with his crew this morning," the Fire Lord announced to his daughter in a low, sickeningly evil voice, a torturous smile tugged at his lips.

And Azula had known what he was going to say next – she had met this consequence several horrible times before and had always hated her father more and more after each time.

"_No,_" she'd breathed in desperation, "Father, please…"

"You're not getting out of it, Azula!" His smile had turned into a satisfied smirk and had become all the more evil. "I will call for him and send him up to your room to do as he pleases with you," he'd hissed.

"Father, please! Please don't!" she'd begged frantically, as her father put away his dagger and straightened up.

She didn't want to have that punishment again. She didn't want to have to suffer Shang's rape and beating again. She knew that even if she was a prodigy, she was no match for him; he was more a master than she was. But she didn't want to be hurt anymore.

But as her father had escorted her up to her room and locked her in, she had known she would have no choice.

Shang had come into the room not even half an hour later, smirking as he ever did when he was asked to punish the Fire Princess.

"Well, hasn't someone been a naughty girl?" he'd asked mockingly as he'd strode to where she was standing at the foot of her bed.

He'd stood there for a moment looking as intimidating as ever to the helpless girl.

_Oh, how I do love our little sessions,_ he'd thought to himself before pushing Azula down onto the bed.

"No! Stop! Please, don't! Let me go!" she'd cried desperately.

Azula had struggled and begged him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen. And so Azula's punishment had begun.

As usual, Shang had beaten Azula until she'd stopped squirming and then raped her until he had satisfied his lust. Then, straightening up, he'd left the room, locking the door behind him and leaving Azula alone, frightened and completely naked.

And all Azula could do was slide herself off the bed and into a corner away from the place she had unwillingly betrayed her body in oh so many dreadful times.

Now all she could do was cry.

And all she could think about was how much she hated Shang for doing these things to her, and her father, for being the reason he was allowed to do them. She thought of how much she hated her father for making her try to hurt and kill her brother and capture the Avatar and their friends.

She thought about how much she missed Zuko, and how badly she wanted to tell him she was sorry for doing so many horrible things, and tell him what their father was doing to her, and tell him she was on his side and the Avatar's side, and how badly she wanted to tell him she loved him.

And all she could do was wish, hopelessly, but desperately, that she _could_ tell he brother all of these things and that he would understand, and she wished so badly that all of these horrible things would stop happening to her. And she really wished that, one day, she would have a chance to pucker up her courage and tell her father _exactly _what she thought. She wished she had the guts to tell him what she thought _now_.

But she didn't, there wouldn't, he wouldn't, she couldn't. And she knew it.

So, she sat there in her corner and cried.

And she knew that her father hated her, and she knew that, as long as she couldn't tell him the truth, her brother did too.

_Oh, Zuko, _she thought longingly, _if only you knew. _

But he didn't. And Azula was certain that he never would.

She was sure that all this would always be the hidden truth.

* * *

**So, what did you think? Was it any good? I hope you liked it. Yes I know it's absolutely crazy and Azula getting raped is something that barely anyone could imagine, but just try to think it. More about her will be revealed in future chapters. So keep reading and enjoy the story to its fullest extent!**

**Ok, if you want to be part of Team Zutara, just let me know and I'll add you. if you want more information on it, it's all on my profile page. We have a growing number of members already, c'mon Zutarians, join us!**

**Well, thanks for reading. The next chapter should be up soon.**

**XD**

**AAA.**


	2. Love or Hate?

**Hey peeps! I hope you all liked last chapter. Hey, Morgana Makaber just started writing, go check out her story 'Conclusion of Peace' and review it! I beta for her ^_^ **

**Ok, R&R this story please. XD enjoy...****

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****

2. Love or Hate?

"KIA!"

Toph clapped encouragingly as Aang threw a final fireball at Zuko.

Sokka was rolling around next to her laughing his guts out at the sight of Zuko having to resort to ducking and covering his head in order to escape Aang's fire blast.

"Well done Aang," Zuko commented, cautiously lifting his head to smile up at his student.

"Thanks," the young Avatar mumbled in reply, as he stepped forward to help his teacher up.

As Zuko straightened up, he heard Sokka muttering something about, "Being beaten by your own student is just _sad_," and had to resist the urge to scowl at him.

Just then, a fifth person came into view.

"Boys," Katara called, "and girl," she quickly added, seeing Toph, "lunch is ready and I think you all need a good feed!"

"Ok, thanks Katara," Toph answered, as Sokka picked her up and started moving towards the door behind his sister.

"Thanks," he said as he passed.

"Yeah, awesome, thanks Katara!" Zuko smiled brightly at her and then walked on, not catching the scowl she gave him.

_I still don't trust you,_ she thought bitterly.

"Thanks Katara, I think you're right – we could all do with a good feed," the young Avatar commented, patting his belly thoughtfully.

He smiled at her, she smiled back. They stood there for a minute, looking at each other in silence.

"Well, c'mon," she spoke up, turning and signaling for him to follow.

Aang let her lead the way back to where they would be eating.

He sighed inwardly, thinking, _You are truly the most beautiful, amazingest, talented girl ever._

He watched her as she walked and thought of all the times she had saved his life and he had saved hers. And he remembered all the fun times they had had together.

_Oh, Katara, _he thought to himself, _I love you._

* * *

Katara and Aang arrived in their eating area to find Zuko, Sokka, Toph, Haru, The Duke and Teo waiting patiently for them.

Well, they were all patient except for Sokka, who greeted the latecomers with; "Bout time! C'mon, I'm starving!"

Slightly annoyed at her brother, Katara dished out lunch; a bowl of soup and a piece of bread each.

Everyone ate there food appreciatively and Sokka helped himself to seconds.

When he was finished, Aang just gazed around the remains of the Western Air Temple, thinking and Toph sat back and lent her head against a rock – she could have been looking up at the ceiling of the Temple if she weren't blind.

The other Earth Kingdom boys left once they had finished eating to go and explore their surroundings some more. They thanked Katara for lunch as they passed her.

She just nodded in reply as they passed, then continued to gaze at the buildings on the other side of the canyon, which were more of the remains of the Western Air Temple.

Zuko, however, gazed at her.

He smiled gently at her from the other side of the pot of leftover soup. The smile widened when Aang and Sokka stood up and announced that they were going for a walk.

They left and Zuko became lost in thought.

_She's so beautiful…_

_How does she do all the cooking and most of the cleaning and laundry and a hell of a lot of other chores and still be so great?_

_She's so easy going…_

_So caring…_

Another part of his brain chipped in, _That is, until it comes to you._

He sighed inwardly. _She'll come round. We've already figured that out._

_Yea, but I would have thought she would have at least __**started**__ by now. She still hates your guts!_

Zuko blocked out his annoying conscience as he watched the girl he was secretly in love with. His golden eyes continued to stare at the young waterbender girl, and Zuko's smile got wider…

He was lost in thought, until…

"Hey, Firefly, you feeling alright?" Toph asked from her sitting position next to him.

Katara's eyes came to rest on him and he quickly looked away.

"What? Yes, yes I'm fine…" he trailed off as he looked at his younger companion.

Had she seen him staring at Katara? Had she seen him smile as he looked at her? Was she about to comment on his behavior?

No, she hadn't, she didn't, she wouldn't.

Toph was blind; she couldn't have seen any of it – could she?

Zuko quickly reminded himself that the young earthbender could see through vibration, but surely she couldn't have seen where he was staring – or that he was staring at all.

Maybe she had seen his smile – maybe she just thought it strange of him to suddenly start smiling.

"Firefly?" Her voice bought him back to reality.

"I-I'm fine, thanks, Toph," he said weakly.

She rose and eyebrow at him. Was the young girl worried for him?

Then he saw – although it was kind of hard to believe he'd missed it in the first place – that Toph was smiling. It was a wide, mischievous, ear to ear grin – she wasn't _worried_ in the slightest.

He raised his eyebrow at her.

"How are you're feet?" he asked, eager to change the subject. He regretted it slightly as a wave of renewed guilt washed over him.

"Oh, they're alright, I guess," she said glumly. "I still can't walk on them," she continued staring blindly at her feet.

Her smile had vanished.

Because of the burns Zuko had caused her feet, she had to be almost completely reliant of others – something she hated a lot, as she knew it meant she was in the way.

She missed being independent.

She missed being able to walk.

She missed being able to see with her feet.

"I'm sorry," Zuko apologized for what seemed like the gazillionth time to Toph, but the guilty weight didn't leave him.

"It's ok, it just means I have something I can get you back for!" she said teasingly, her smile returning.

This lightened Zuko's conscience a little and he gave a small laugh to her joke. He wondered if she knew he was smiling back.

"Don't you two reckon it's about time you scoot?" Katara butt in.

"I guess," replied the Fire Prince, purposefully ignoring the scowl she was giving him.

Toph nodded in agreement before turning back to Zuko. "Come sit with me by the fountain, I think I need someone to talk to while I sit around."

Zuko nodded and lifted Toph up in his arms and walked over to the fountain, a little bit away form the eating area.

Katara started cleaning when Zuko sat Toph on the edge of the fountain to soak her feet. He sat down beside her and a slightly awkward silence hung between them.

Finally, Toph broke it.

"So…" she started slowly, "how long have you liked Katara?"

The question hit Zuko like a ton on Appa dung.

_How the hell did she __**know**__?!_

Toph raised an eyebrow at him again and her smile was small and modest, but full of satisfaction.

Zuko was silent; he didn't know what to say.

Toph smiled slightly wider, clearly knowing she had shocked Zuko.

The nervous seventeen-year-old looked quickly towards Katara to make sure she hadn't heard and that she was out of earshot.

Turning back to Toph he lowered his voice to a shaky whisper. "_What?_" he asked in disbelief, "how… since when… what…?"

"It's a fairly simple question to answer, Firefly," the young earthbender giggled.

"How the hell did you know?!" Zuko demanded.

"Oh, please! I could hear your heart running a marathon a mile away when you're near her or thinking about her!" Toph teased, and Zuko was grateful that she too had dropped her voice to a whisper.

Zuko couldn't believe this. Toph could tell he liked Katara because of his _heartbeat_?

"Well, how long?" the blind girl urged.

"I-I dunno," he said, knowing that to lie would be pointless, "I just love her," he admitted.

Toph grinned again, pleased with herself for making her victim give in so easily.

"Toph," Zuko's voice was uneasy, "Please… don't tell anyone… especially not her," he pleaded.

_Oh no! If Katara finds out I like her, she'll be furious at me and we won't even be friends! If she finds out, all of this work to just make her like me will have been for nothing!_

And Toph knew without having to see, that the Prince's eyes were full of fear and she could hear worry in his voice.

She let her grin shrink to a gentle, comforting and reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," she whispered, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, "your secret's safe with me."

And Zuko knew she wasn't lying.

_

* * *

_

_What got into him?_

Katara's brow was furrowed as she tried to think.

She quickly remembered what had just happened while she collected the bowls that had been used at lunch.

She had heard Toph ask Zuko if he was alright and had turned to see Zuko hurriedly looking away from _her_. His expression had been one of fright and shock.

_Unusual for him to be frightened and shocked and even more so for him to let it show._

Toph had had a mischievous grin spread across her face. Katara had no doubt that Toph knew something about Zuko that the rest of them didn't. But Toph had seemed amused, so Katara was sure that whatever it was, it couldn't have been anything bad – could it?

But the waterbender still felt suspicious about what it was. Zuko had stuttered and trailed off and quickly tried to change the subject. Whatever it was, Zuko didn't want to share it, and the fact that Zuko was keeping something from them all unsettled Katara.

Coming out of her thoughts, Katara made a glance over to where the young firebender and even younger earthbender were sitting and her eyes were met with an unbelievable sight.

Toph was smiling gently at Zuko, who was smiling back, although the rest of him seemed tense and uneasy and even – Katara gasped – ashamed.

What was he ashamed of? Was it whatever he was keeping secret? Did Toph know what it was?

Toph placed a comforting and reassuring hand on his shoulder and said something to him, a little too soft for Katara to hear. But she saw Zuko's sad smile widen as he shut his eyes and let a single tear roll down his unscarred cheek.

Katara would never forget what happened next.

Zuko bowled his head, his eyes still shut, and leaned into Toph. He hugged her and rested his head on her shoulder and whispered something to her. She couldn't hear him, but she knew from the way his lips moved that he was saying "_Thank you"_ to Toph.

Next thing Katara knew, Toph was hugging him back and rubbing him soothingly on the back and whispering 'There, there,' and 'It's ok,' to him.

Zuko spoke again and this time it was a little louder. Katara caught a few words.

"…love…Toph, but… hates me…"

And Toph whispered something back in his ear, but again, too softly for Katara to hear.

Katara couldn't believe her eyes or ears.

_What the __**hell **__does he think he's doing?_ She glowered at Zuko from her frozen position in the dinning area.

Just then, Toph looked up over Zuko's shoulder and sensed Katara watching them in disbelief. Katara finally became in control of her feet and took a few steps forward. Noticing this, Toph put up a hand and mouthed the word _"STOP,"_ as she looked pleadingly and blindly to where she knew Katara to be standing. Her facial expression begged Katara to just leave them and let it slide.

Katara had to force herself to look away and let her friend stay trapped in his arms as she patted Zuko on the back. She grudging busied herself in cleaning up the place they ate at each day.

_And what's __**she**__ doing?_

Katara couldn't believe this. Had Zuko just told Toph he _loves_ her? Was he upset because he thinks Toph hates him? _Did _Toph hate him? Katara sure hoped so. But Toph was comforting him! Did _she_ love _him _too?

A thousand and one questions swam through Katara's head, begging to be answered.

_No, _she told herself, _she doesn't love him… he's just pressuring her and she doesn't know what to do._

She glanced back at the two of them – they were still embraced, Zuko was still glum, Toph was still comforting him.

_What's he playing at? What makes him think he can do this to Toph? He's only making a scene so she'll feel sorry for him and make herself love him to make him feel better! _She told herself as she looked away again.

_The pervert! He's a __**PERVERT**__!_

Neither Zuko nor Toph were speaking anymore, for that moment anyway. She couldn't look again though. She didn't want to see him leaning on her like that.

_For Spirits sake! _She sighed inwardly in frustration, _I__** HATE**__ him! I __**HATE**__ Zuko! I __**HATE**__ him! _

**

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**

All in favour of feeling sorry for Zuko say 'I' in your reviews. Lol, why must Katara jump to such a terrible conclusion? Why Katara? Why? Oh yea, that's write; I MADE HER DO THAT! LOL. Ok sorry, lamest joke ever – I inherited my… ok, I don't know which side of my family has the good sense of humour – maybe it's neither!

**Well, I'm sorry to admit this, guys, but I'm going to make the next few chapters kinda... slow. I mean, I'll update once a week and all, but what happens inside the chapters will go kinda slow. I'm sorry, but it'll all be worth it in the end, I promise!**

**If you wanna be part of Team Zutara take a look on my profile page to find out how! C'mon Zutarians, join the club! Oh yes, and please leave a review ^_^**


	3. Trust

**So, were you all looking forward to this chappie? I hope you were. Anyways, things are going to go a little slowly here and next chapter, as I said, but after that, things will speed up again! It'll all be worth it, it's just slow for now so everyone can get the right understanding of what's really happening and what's going through the character's heads. So, yea, enjoy! Please R&R.**

* * *

**3. Trust**

"Don't worry," she said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "you're secret's safe with me."

And Zuko knew she wasn't lying.

Suddenly, Zuko's world dissolved around him, and the only things that were left were Toph, himself and his emotions.

He could barely believe he had admitted that to her – this was the first time he had told anyone how he felt about Katara and he suddenly had complete faith in this little girl to keep his secret.

He smiled a wide and happy smile on his otherwise sad face, as he closed his eyes and let a tear run down his unscarred cheek.

Then he did something he never thought he would have done – he leaned in towards Toph and _hugged _her. He wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he dared, hoping his embrace would not break her small body. And he buried his face in her neck and shoulders and sighed, almost crying with an unexpected and unexplainable joy. The relief of having finally told someone was the biggest comfort in the world for him at that moment in time.

He whispered a thank you to her and was overjoyed to feel her hugging back and hear her whisper soothing, comforting things into his ear.

"I love her, Toph, I love her so much, but she hates me…" he groaned in defeat.

"No, she doesn't. She doesn't hate you; she's too forgiving to truly hate you, Zuko," she told him, her face showing a mixture of pity and amusement.

Zuko shook his head slowly and sadly. "She hates me, Toph, and she has every right to after all of those things I've done to her…" he trailed off. "…And after all of those things I've done, I'm in love with her. But she hates me and she always will, and she'll never forgive me for what I've done…"

"Calm down!" Toph scoffed quietly. "She's very forgiving, you just need to give her a bit of time, and then I'm sure you'll both be fine!"

Zuko shook his head, although he half wanted to nod.

What if Toph was right? What if Katara would forgive him? Would they be able to be friends? Good friends? Would she fall in love with him too?

But what if she was wrong? What if Katara never forgave him? What if she hated him like he thought she did now for the rest of their lives? Would he ever be able to move on and let go of her?

No, he didn't want to think about it. It just hurt too much.

He gathered himself and then realized he was still hugging and leaning on Toph and that she was still hugging and comforting him.

He slowly and gently sat back up and let go of her.

_What the hell just happened?!_

He stared down at the young earthbender in shock.

_Why is she comforting me so? Why did I let myself lean onto her like that?_

He couldn't believe either of their actions just now. They had just acted as if they were close and understanding friends. But no, there was something there – a familiar feeling that he recognized oh so vaguely.

But what was it?

Zuko took in a deep breath as he tried to name this emotion. He let himself think about it – what did it remind him of?

In his mind's eye, he saw a family of four, laughing and running and tickling each other. He recognized this family – his own family. He, his mother, his father and his sister were having the time of their lives.

Then he only saw two children – a brother and sister – himself and Azula – sitting under a tent of bed sheets and blankets in his room, with a small lantern in the middle, telling each other stories and childish jokes and laughing, even though they weren't funny.

Then he sat on his mother's lap, in a beautiful garden. He listened to her as she told him stories.

And finally, an old man sat behind bars – an image Zuko knew as from just a few weeks ago – as his uncle told him that his great grandfather on his mother's side was Avatar Roku.

And his mind came back to the present and he looked at the girl in front of him.

_Love…_ Zuko named the emotion – it was love.

But no, he loved Katara – hadn't he just been saying that?

No, this wasn't the type of love that made you want to kiss them. It was different, but it was still love. The same kind of love felt between family members. He loved Toph as if she were family, as if she was…

_As if she was my little sister, _he thought in realization.

Once upon a time, he had felt this very emotion towards Azula. They had gone through some rough patches and it slowly faded away. But now, it was back again and he felt it for Toph.

Zuko looked down at the little girl and smiled, she smiled blindly back. He moved so that he was right next to her and put an arm around her. She rested her head on the side of his chest.

"Thank you, Toph," he said gently.

"No problem, Firefly," she replied.

Firefly – she had even made him a cute, but likable nickname (not that he cared for cute!). She felt comfortable with using a nickname instead of a real name and she knew she didn't have to use the title _Prince._

He sighed inwardly.

He could trust this girl. He knew he could.

* * *

Toph listened patiently while Zuko leaned onto her. She whispered comfortingly back to him whenever he stopped talking.

She silently thanked the Gods and Spirits when Katara agreed to let the incident slide for the time being and not interrupt or come over to where they were sitting.

_I think I'm gonna have to tell Katara not to tell Zuko she saw us, _she mused, _I'll have to make something up to cover why he was upset because Zuko will __**kill **__me if I tell her the truth._

Zuko had straightened up now and had sat back and just put one arm around her.

_I'll have to ask her not to tell the others about it either._

She secretly hoped it wouldn't be obvious to the others that Zuko had been upset. He'd only let a few tears slip, but she could tell his eyes were gleaming with tears he had blinked back. She didn't know how true rumors were, but she had been told that golden and amber eyes give away more emotion than any other colour, except sometimes blue.

As they sat there by the fountain, Toph could feel the trust. She could sense that he truly trusted her.

Toph smiled to herself – it was nice to know that her new friend trusted her. The fact that he trusted her enough to let his emotions show and tell her what he thought and how he felt widened her smile.

He trusted her, and that meant a lot to her. And it made her feel as if she could trust him.

This made her feel warm inside, and a familiar emotion passed over her.

She thought of her mother and father. She remembered all the good times they'd had together and she recognized the emotion – love.

Not the love felt between a girl and a boy, but the love felt between family members, between siblings.

_Between a brother and sister._

Toph had to stop herself form gasping out loud.

_I love Zuko. I love him as if he were my older brother,_ she realized, _I love him the way Katara loves Sokka._

She concentrated on listening to his heartbeat, in hope that it would tell her how he felt. She listened. It sounded steady and relaxed and perfectly comfortable.

_Sounds good, _she thought hopefully.

The rest of him seemed fine too. He wasn't tense and he had left his sentimental faze completely.

_This is good! _She smiled wider as tears of joy came to her eyes. She blinked them back. She couldn't be certain about how Zuko felt – there was a chance he had fixed his mind on something else. If she wanted to be certain, she'd have to ask him so that he'd have to think about it.

But no, she wouldn't ask him that. Not yet. He'd only just calmed down and if she put him on the spot like that again, he'd probably get upset again.

_Oh well, _she thought, _he probably isn't ready to share that much with me anyway. Maybe some other time._

With that, Toph let her mind relax as she leaned into him and sighed.

_Time to just enjoy the moment,_ she thought.

* * *

**So, did you like it? Was it sweet? Everyone wondering about my made-up Zuko/Azula childhood thing I've got going? Read more and you'll slowly find out! **

**Hey, I guess this is the part of the A/N that I advertise the club. Everyone who wants to be part of Team Zutara, please let me know or go to my profile page to find out some more information. XD**

**Heh, sorry guys... I just realized I'm going camping for a week and I'm not going to be able to update for that time. Really sorry bout that. But I promise that I will update as soon as I get back... I'm a quick typist so all I need to do is write the next one on my notepad and then type it up when I get home – easy enough! ^_^**


	4. Worried

**Gah... sorry guys. miner writer's block here. Like I said, this is going to move slowly for a while... but I think as of next chapter things will speed up. That will be good. Well, things are about to get really good after this chapter. Ok, well, R&R**

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* * *

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**4. Worried**

On hearing Aang and Sokka coming back from their walk, Zuko and Toph scooted apart, unsure on whether or not the returning duo would react well at seeing them so close.

Zuko suddenly realized that Katara had still been in the eating area when he and Toph had sat down.

_Oh, crap! _He had to stop himself from swearing out loud. _Did she see us? What must she be thinking? How much did she hear?_

Zuko felt his heart skip a few beats.

He quickly whipped around to see that Katara had disappeared. She must have taken the dishes with her, because they were nowhere to be seen.

_Phew, she mustn't have seen, _he sighed inwardly. _She would have come over or at least not left the area if she had seen._

Zuko repeated these things to himself, trying to convince himself that they were true, but he couldn't help but feel a little worried.

_A __**little**__ worried? Talk about understatement of the millennium! _

Zuko wasn't a _little _worried- _he was EXTREAMLY worried!_ He was so lost in his worried thoughts at that moment in fact, that when Aang tapped him on the shoulder, he jumped out of his skin and only just managed to catch a cry of shock in his throat. He turned to see the young Avatar's face go from smiling and happy to frowning and confused.

"Um… is everything alright?" he asked uncertainly.

"Er… yes, yes, everything's… everything's fine… um…" Zuko trailed off.

Had Aang seen that he was worried about something? Or was it obvious that he had been crying?

_Damn my eyes to hell! Why does gold have to be such a revealing colour...?_

He half hoped it was the first if either. This only worried Zuko further. Would the boy pester him to tell him what was the matter? He really hoped not…

"Um… anyways, I was just thinking; maybe it's time to get back to training." The Avatar still spoke with uncertainty.

"Yea, that's a good idea," Zuko replied, happy for a change of subject and trying to look cheerful, although he seemed unsuccessful.

He gave a smile and stood up. He began to lead the way back to where they had decided to train. But he still worried. He couldn't help it.

_

* * *

_

What the heck?

This had been the only thing Aang could think of after returning to where his teachers were and seeing Zuko. Aang was sure the Fire Prince must have had a heart attack by the way he had jumped when Aang had tapped him.

He had looked worried. Extremely worried. But he had tried to cover it up.

As they trained, Aang noticed that Zuko _was_ worried, and it was showing in his firebending. This worried Aang. And Aang knew that his worry was reflecting in his firebending too. This worried him more.

Both student and teacher remained unsettled the whole lesson.

_

* * *

_

_What the hell?_

This had been the only thing Katara could think while she had been cleaning. She couldn't believe it. Zuko had cried on Toph and hugged her, and Toph had hugged him back and comforted him.

She remembered what Zuko had said;

'_Love…Toph, but… hates me…'_

She couldn't believe it. Zuko had told Toph that he loves her and that he thought she hated him. And still, Toph had comforted him and let him hug her and lean on her. What had she whispered to him? Did she tell him she loves him too? Or did she agree that she hates him? Katara desperately hoped it was the latter.

_No, Toph wouldn't have told him she loves him, she's stronger than that!_

_But I don't think she would have agreed to hating him. That's just __**too**__ mean for Toph._

Katara did her best to convince herself that Toph had not said she loves him.

_That poor girl,_ she thought sympathetically.

_That bloody bastard! _She thought bitterly.

_I __**hate**__ Zuko! I __**hate**__ him!_

Katara worried. How was Toph handling this? Katara worried a lot – especially for Toph's well being.

Katara worried a _hell_ of a lot.

* * *

Azula had been sitting at her desk for hours.

This is what happened every time. She would be depressed for a week or so after she had been hurt by Shang. Azula had learned to get over things like this that happened to her and just move on. There was no point lingering on the past.

The Princess still avoided doing so much as _looking_ at her bed – it was just too painful.

She sat with her head on her arms as she leaned on the desk. Deep in thought, she was worrying so much. She was thinking so desperately about a better time and hoping she would one day be able to go back to it.

She hoped that life would start getting better soon. She wished that her father would stop doing terrible things to everyone, including her. She prayed that Zuko was alright and that he was teaching the Avatar firebending at that very moment.

She swore that Shang would pay for doing so many horrible things to her in some way.

But there was one thing she worried about more than anything. It was something she worried about after every time Shang raped her. She worried deeply that she was pregnant.

She worried so often that she would fall pregnant because of her father's punishment. She had even brought the issue up with him once, in the hope that, maybe, he would abandon that punishment. But it had only made him happier to assign her Shang to rape her. He didn't care. He never had.

Azula worried so much. Too much.

She wouldn't be able to sleep tonight and most certainly not in her bed. She wouldn't use her bed for a while. She hated her bed because of the things that had happened to her in it.

She sighed in frustration. Her worries were too overwhelming.

She was sick of this. She needed to have a break and clear her mind. She needed to calm down. To do all this, she needed to be sure she wasn't pregnant. She needed a stress reliever. She needed to stop worrying.

* * *

"Hey, Katara… can I talk to you for a minute?" Toph asked.

"Sure, what about?" There was a touch of annoyance to Katara's voice as she replied.

"Um… can I talk to you alone?" she asked, head inclining towards Sokka.

Katara raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"I'll go and watch Aang and Zuko train!" the boy announced.

"Thanks, Sokka," the girls mumbled together.

They waited till Sokka was out of sight before they started talking.

"Is it gonna be about you and Zuko earlier?"

"Yes," Toph said uncertainly. "I need to explain it to you."

"Damn straight you do!" Katara exclaimed indignantly. "What the hell happened?!"

"We were talking and… um…"

"Yea, yea, I heard!" she cut in, "he started crying and told you he loves you and that he thinks you hate him," she went on.

"What the –?"

"What I wanna know is what _you_ said to _him_?!"

"I –?"

"Why did you let him cry on you?! Why did you comfort him?! Why –?!"

"Katara, what the hell are you on about?!"

"Why did you tell me not to butt in?! Why didn't you push him away and yell at him for it?!"

"KATARA!!!" Toph screamed.

"Did you tell him you love him too?! Did you make him believe it?!"

"KATARA, SHUT UP A SEC!"

"What did you say to him?!"

"I didn't tell him I love him, that's for sure!" Toph managed to shout back. "And _he _didn't tell me he loves _me_ either!"

"Humph! That's really easy to believe, Toph." Sarcasm played her voice. "You were hugging each other for Spirits sake! And I'm not deaf; I heard him tell you he loves you!"

"He never said he loves me!" Toph defended.

"Then what did he say?! What were you talking about?!" she yelled, wildly. "Why was he crying?! I heard him say you hate him!"

"Well, he didn't! He's just feeling a bit homesick, that's all," the earthbender lied. "He misses his uncle, and all he said was 'I love him, Toph, but he hates me!', and all I did was tell him his uncle does love him and I tried to convince him they would meet again!"

Toph half wished this were true; it would be easier to tell it and she wouldn't be lying if it were true.

Katara raised a suspicious eyebrow. Did she know Toph was lying? She couldn't – this had to work!

"I was just trying to comfort him. I mean, of course he's gonna miss his uncle; he was the only one who stuck with him after he was banished, simply because he loved him in return. Iroh's basically been a father to Zuko," Toph explained, calming down.

Katara's face changed from angry and suspicious to guilty and apologetic. "Oh, Toph, I-I'm sorry," Katara started. "I shouldn't have accused either of you about something like that."

"It's ok; I probably would have jumped to conclusions too."

"That was pretty sweet of you," Katara commented.

"Yea, I guess." Toph sighed inwardly; it was working.

"I'm sorry," Katara repeated.

"It's ok!" the earthbender shrugged.

Katara smiled.

"Well, it's getting late; I'd better go and finish making dinner," she said standing. "I'll leave you to um… dry off," she finished looking at Toph's slightly tear soaked clothes and moist, slightly cold feet.

Both girls started laughing – this was a good change of subject.

When they had finished laughing, Katara went off to prepare dinner, leaving Toph by the fountain.

Toph sighed out loud in worry. Did Katara really believe her story? Had the lie worked? She really hoped it had.

"I think I'll get Sokka to help me," came Katara's voice as she stepped outside again.

She started heading towards where the boys had gone to train.

"Hey, Katara," Toph called.

"Yea?" she replied, stopping.

"Don't tell anyone about Zuko, ok?"

"Alright, I won't tell anyone," Katara agreed.

"Don't let him know you saw or that you know either, he probably won't appreciate that I've told you," the blind girl went on.

"Alright, I won't say anything."

With that, she disappeared around a corner as she went on towards the training area.

Toph trusted Katara not to say anything to anyone about Zuko. But she still worried. Toph was really worried.

* * *

**Ha! There, I think I'm going to be ready for the next chapter now. I sure hope I am. Because if I'm not, I'm gonna pinch myself... hard! Lol, alright, well, I hope you all liked that. **

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**And now, go and review.**


	5. Realizations

**Firstly, I would like to say something in response to my anonymous reviewer 'mT'. Lol, that was a good idea to have Ozai and Shang tied to a tree and sent over a waterfall, I enjoyed that idea. Well done! XD and I'm glad you liked the lie Toph told about Iroh for Zuko, I agree that it was sweet. If anyone was wondering what was said in the review, just check the review page, :)**

**Ok, I want everyone reviewing this story to go and R&R 'Ozai Doesn't Know She Cries'. I'm sorry, I want more reviews for it and it's a little side story to this one. Please do that and I'll love you forever.**

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**5. Realizations**

All of the next few days, Katara kept and eye on Zuko. She had only half believed what Toph had told her about why Zuko had been crying. She wished she believed her completely, but she couldn't help but suspect something.

The past few days, she had noticed that whenever both of them were near her together, they acted very cagey and uncertain. Even if it was just one of them on their own around her, she noticed they were jumpy.

She wondered if they had been acting like this around the others too. If so, had the others noticed it?

Yes, she was sure they must have been acting strange around Sokka and Aang as well. She had heard them talking about it two days after the incident.

"You, Zuko and Toph have been acting really strange lately," her brother had commented. "Is something going on?"

"I don't know, Zuko's just seemed so worried lately, both he and Toph have," Aang had answered.

"What about you?" Sokka had continued.

"I'm worried about them – Zuko especially, cause it's showing in his firebending."

"You're worries show in you're firebending too, Aang."

"I know, but I can't help it. What if there's something going on?" Aang thought out loud.

Silence had hung between the two boys.

"I think they're hiding something," he'd continued.

"I agree," Sokka had said.

"But what?" they both asked.

At that moment, Haru had appeared, talking animatedly with his other two Earth Kingdom friends. The conversation had ended and Katara had left to continue making lunch for that day.

Katara was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by her brother as he asked when dinner would be ready.

"In a minute," she replied. With that Katara stirred the soup again. She served dinner about five minutes later. They all ate in silence.

The three adventurous Earth Kingdom boys finished first and, once again, went to explore the temple. Aang and Sokka went on another one of their walks once they were done.

Toph and Katara were just about to start talking when Zuko hurriedly got up.

"Where are you going? What's your rush?" Katara called out to him.

"Oh, nothing, nowhere, just…um…" he trailed off. "Just going for a walk."

He quickly turned and walked away, leaving the two girls staring.

"Why is he always so mysterious?" Katara thought out loud.

"I dunno," Toph said, "he just is."

"URGH!" Katara rolled her eyes, "I hate him!"

Toph frowned.

_What was that?_

Katara had yelled that she hated Zuko, but Toph had heard something else too.

"Katara, say that again," Toph requested.

"I hate Zuko!"

There it was again, she was sure of it.

"Say again."

Toph was grinning broadly now.

Katara looked at her blind friend, confused.

"I hate Zuko," she obliged, uncertainly.

Toph's smile had become wider than Katara thought possible.

It was there again. A little murmur. A heartbeat a little out of order. This told Toph something very important.

"Say it again," she asked in an almost whisper.

"I hate Zuko… Toph, what are you getting at?" Suspicion overtook Katara.

Toph couldn't help herself; she started giggling. The giggling turned into hard, uncontrollable laughter in a matter of seconds.

The misplaced heartbeat was still there when Katara said it. This had told Toph that Katara was lying. More importantly, it had told her that Katara didn't know she was lying.

Katara liked Zuko, but she didn't know it. Only her heart knew it and Toph knew better than anyone that your heart cannot lie... unless you're Azula.

She attempted to stop herself from laughing, unsuccessfully.

It took her five whole minutes to stop laughing completely and when she finally did gain control of herself, all she could do was smile like a mad woman.

"Toph, what the hell?" Katara began.

She knew the young earthbender knew something she didn't.

"Oh, nothing," Toph replied.

In her mind she was having a party.

_All I need to do now is help Zuko earn Katara's forgiveness and then everything will be fine, we might even get a bit of romance happening!_ _This couldn't be too hard._ _Zuko's gonna be thrilled when I tell him this. _But no, Toph wouldn't tell Zuko the news yet; she'd wait for the right moment.

This was gonna be good.

* * *

Zuko walked for hours.

He didn't know why he was walking, all he knew was he that couldn't stand being in the sole company of both Katara and Toph for longer than he already had been.

He couldn't be around Katara because he wasn't sure he could trust himself not to do something that would give away his feeling for her.

He couldn't be around Toph at the same time as Katara because she already knew the secret and was the one who had given Zuko hope that, maybe, there could be something between he and Katara, if he had patience. So he was worried that he might do something to test Toph's idea. This might also give Toph away. Zuko was sure that if Katara found out that Toph knew that someone liked her and didn't tell her, she wouldn't be very happy.

Zuko just had to keep walking.

_If I hadn't left when I had, who knows what I would have done?_

He was convinced that he wouldn't have been able to control his emotions, that's all he needed; his own opinion.

_Just keep walking. Try and think of something else, _he told himself.

* * *

"How quiet was Zuko acting today?" Aang asked as he walked alongside his friend.

"I dunno, but he was quieter than usual, even though he's been really quiet lately, he's been disturbingly quiet today," the young Water Warrior commented.

"Maybe he was a little intimidated because he had to sit between two girls," Aang joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Sokka laughed.

"Yea, maybe he just gets a little crazy around girls. I mean I don't blame him; he's spent the last few years away from home and land, trying to find and catch you! He hasn't really had time to socialize, especially not with the girls. And guys mine and Zuko's age often like to get socialized with girls," Sokka remarked.

Now Aang laughed.

"Maybe we should warn him that Katara bites and if he even thinks about touching her you'll rip his head off. And we should probably tell him Toph's _way _too young for him and that he's not her type anyways!"

"Yes, I'm sure even if they were closer to the same age he's still not Toph's type, and definitely yes, I will rip his head off if he does so much as _think_ about touching Katara!" Sokka agreed.

The boys continued to joke and tease as they walked.

* * *

"I can't believe you'd do something like this!" Azula yelled at her father. "You never bothered to tell me or anything, you just thought you'd wait until I was pregnant and then you'd give me the news!"

The Fire Princess knew for sure she was pregnant. It wasn't anything visible at this point, but she knew her own body and could feel the change.

At first, she had been frightened; what would the nation think of her? Would they think she was a whore? Would they think she should be ashamed of herself? Would they think that she had been an unfortunate victim of rape?

But she wasn't so afraid now. She wasn't entirely happy, but she felt better about things because her father had given her some news, although, this news had made her angry at her father because it was such a big issue and she hadn't heard a word of it until then.

It had been just that afternoon, when she had found her father, alone in the throne room.

She'd asked for a private word with him. Once the guards had been dismissed, she had reveled to him that she was pregnant. She had half expected him to be angry, but to her surprise it had led to a confession of his own.

"Well, don't worry about anyone thinking wrongly of you. I've already had a word with Admiral Shang and he has agreed. Next week, you will marry him!"' the Fire Lord had announced, almost delightedly.

Azula had been too stunned to react straight away and so she simply gazed dumbly at the man that stood before her.

"Now I can be sure that there will be and heir to the throne after me and they will have a child that can carry on after him!" Fire Lord Ozai's smile was true but evil.

Azula found her voice.

"Are you crazy?" she choked.

The Fire Lord looked at her as if she was asking a question which had an obvious answer.

"I can't believe you'd do something like this!" Azula yelled at her father. "You never bothered to tell me or anything, you just thought you'd wait till I was pregnant and then give me the news!"

Her father laughed.

"Princess Azula, you don't honestly think I'd take the risk of you getting pregnant without planning for you to marry the man who you would have the baby to?" he had asked mockingly.

"How long have you been planning for him to marry me? How long have either of you known he would be marrying me?" The Fire Princess kept her voice steady, intent on getting an answer.

"I've been planning this since the first time I let him have you; I only consulted him last week after your little disagreement with me and he agreed straight away with great pleasure."

Ozai rummaged through a pocket on the inside of his robes and pulled something out. He took a step towards his daughter and she saw that it was a necklace. And not just any necklace; an engagement necklace. It was red with the Imperial Flame insignia carved into it. She could tell that the pendent was made of ruby. It was attached to a crimson ribbon and was attached by a gold stud.

He placed it around his daughter's neck and tied it up in the back.

There was silence for a while.

"So that's it then? You're just gonna marry me off so that there will definitely be someone to finish off this war if you die and then there will be an heir to the throne after them?" she asked, knowing the answer.

The Fire Lord nodded, but he knew his daughter was disappointed, not that he really cared.

"Fine," she whispered.

With that, she turned and walked from the room, leaving her father alone.

* * *

Katara watched as Aang and Zuko had a sparring round in the training area. She knew that neither of them were doing their best firebending, because she had seen both of them do better. Nevertheless, they were still fighting hard enough to break a sweat.

It was a fairly warm night and both of them had decided it was best if they trained with their shirts off. Katara was amazed at how muscular Aang was now compared to when she had first met him. But she was almost awestruck at the sight of Zuko's bare chest and abdomen.

_Jeez, this guy really knows how to work out,_ she thought to herself as she watched the muscles in Zuko's gut tighten and loosen as he moved and shot fireballs in his student's direction.

_He's so well shaped, he actually looks pretty good. The scar doesn't really make him look bad at all._ _He actually looks kinda…_

Katara mentally slapped herself.

_What are you doing, woman? _She asked herself. _That jerk chased you half way around the world, he made you trust him and then betrayed you! Sure he's helping you now, but you never know when he'll turn on you again!_

Katara was disgusted at herself. She tried to focus on Aang. She watched as his muscles flexed as he moved.

The Avatar was learning firebending fast. He was already impressive as it was. He knew how to attack and block almost as well as Zuko himself. But then, Zuko had only been using the moves he'd taught Aang when they sparred. Katara was sure that he knew quite a few more moves than he'd shown the Avatar.

_I'm sure he'll teach Aang when he's ready, _Katara assured herself.

Suddenly Zuko launched a rather impressive offensive move on Aang. The Avatar blocked it, but only just.

"Well done, Aang!" Zuko shouted across the training ring.

The Avatar smiled before launching his own attack back at the Fire Prince.

Katara watched as Zuko blocked and attacked Aang. She watched his form tense and loosen as he went about.

_He actually looks kinda hot, _she thought to herself.

She gasped out loud.

_Katara, what did I just think? _

_Oh my Gods! What __**did**__ I just think? _Katara couldn't believe herself.

Then she realized something.

_NNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!_

She mentally beat herself up.

_NO! NO! NO! NO! _

She did her best to keep a straight face.

_How could I?_ She thought. _NO!_

Now she knew why she was looking at him like that. She realized it then.

_NO! _

She liked him.

_NOOO! _

She actually had feeling for him.

_URGH! I hate him! I don't like him; I hate him!_

She tried to convince herself and failed. She knew she was lying. She liked Zuko.

_URGH! How can I like him?! __How can I like that jerk! That good for nothing, untrustworthy, despicable, firebending, shirtless…_

_Hotty?_

She gasped out loud again. She didn't just like Zuko; she thought he was hot, she _really_ liked him. And she didn't really mind.

_How can I not mind really liking that… that, _she sighed inwardly in frustration, _shirtless hotty? _She finished for herself, lamely.

She didn't mind liking Zuko; she didn't mind that she thought he was hot.

_What is this world coming to?_

With that, she got up and left the training ring. As she left her thoughts were: _J__ust because I think he's hot and I like him doesn't mean I'm attracted to him!_

* * *

**Lol, well, I thought it was about time Katara started to like him... kinda. Now, am I rushing this? Tell me if that's what you think – I don't mind flames too much; all of my reviewers at the moment are kind, so I know you mean me no harm. Lol. Alright, you know the drill, REVIEW!**

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	6. The Ambush

**Before we being: to my anonymous reviewer, mT, I just have to reply to all of my reviewers! Well... if they're anonymous, they have to leave a decent review anyways :)  
Now, I'm not going to give away what happens to Ozai at the end of this story (my little secret ;)). I'm glad you still think Toph rock hard core and I'm glad I made you laugh at the end of chapter five when Katara begins to realize her feelings.  
I'm glad you liked 'Ozai Doesn't Know she Cries' and I agree that it's sad to see Azula even more messed up than she really is. Now, GIVE ME THAT ROPE! JUST FOR FUN!**

**Anyways, well, that's enough replying. Back to business! I want you all to read this and review it (please, please, please with lemur eyes on top?) **

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**6. The Ambush**

"They're fools if they think that we won't find them at the Western Air Temple!" Azula announced to her friends as they poured over a map.

"Let's just hope they _stay _at the Temple until we get there, or at least stay close," Ty Lee chimed in.

Mai just grunted.

"We'll attack under cover of night," Azula told them. "They'll be tired and less accurate, especially seeing as they won't be able to see us."

"This should be pretty easy, just sneak up on them, wait till no one's looking and then, bang. Just kill anything that moves that isn't throwing hidden weapons, doing acrobatics or making lightening." This was the first time Mai had spoke while the three girls had been together that night.

"Not so fast, Mai," Azula butt in. "You got the first two bits right; sneak up on them and wait till no one's looking. But we can't just kill them all. My father has given me special orders; we have to bring the Avatar and my brother to him alive - he wants the pleasure of killing them for himself. He just says to kill anyone who gets in our way, so, I guess that means we can kill the blind one, the water peasant and her brother, and anyone else they might be traveling with. But the Avatar and Zuko come alive. Understand?"

Both Mai and Ty Lee nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hear that Mai? You can give your boyfriend one last kiss before he dies," Ty Lee nudged her friend in the ribs.

Mai scowled at her.

Azula gave a smirk.

"I'm quite happy for you to give my brother the kiss of death Mai, but that's it. And I wouldn't do it in front of my father - he might take it the wrong way."

Mai scowled some more.

Ty Lee laughed.

"URGH! Would you two leave me alone?! I'll give Zuko the kiss of death seeing as you two are so keen on it, but that's all it'll be; the kiss of death!" Mai snapped, bitterly.

The three girls looked at one another, shocked and scowling. Then, after a moment of silence, they all started laughing.

After they had finished laughing, they went back to planning their attack on the Avatar and his friends.

But deep down, Mai was hurt. She didn't want to kill Zuko or lead him to his death. And she didn't want to give him the kiss of death.

She loved him. But at the same time, she hated him so much. He had broken her heart when he had left. And the only goodbye she got was in a letter. A stupid, _stupid, STUPID_ LOVE LETTER! She didn't know what to feel anymore. But Mai kept that letter on her all the time, hidden away, but always with her. What was in that letter was something that she would never tell anyone, and she would never show the letter to anyone either. No one would ever find out that damned letter existed if she could help it. But she could never get rid of it.

* * *

"Hey, Zuko, could you help me get this thing onto Appa?"

Zuko walked over to the water boy, dropping his bag as he went.

"Where's Aang? Couldn't he just lift the saddle onto Appa with his airbending?"

"He's disappeared to some place with Toph… they're probably doing some earthbender talk or something," Sokka answered.

"Eh he, since when were you bagging earthbenders? Isn't your friend Suki from the Earth Kingdom?" Zuko asked.

"Oi! Shut up 'bout my love life or I'll rip your head off!" Sokka joked.

"What do you mean your love life? I only said she was your friend," Zuko accused himself, putting on an overdramatic innocent face.

Sokka laughed, "That _so_ does not suit you!"

Zuko smiled a little before stooping down to help Sokka lift Appa's saddle off the ground and onto the bison's back.

"It's lighter than it looks," Zuko commented. "Whenever I was chasing you, I always wondered how you guys were always ready to fly off so quickly. I thought this thing must be really heavy and that Aang would have needed to use a fair bit of airbending to get it on," he said.

"Aang usually does use his airbending to get it on and off, but it's really easy to do it without airbending too. It's just a lot safer to do it with airbending and you need two pairs of hands when you do it manually," Sokka explained.

"I see."

At that moment, Katara appeared, coming out of the kitchen.

"We'll be heading to the east of the capital city, then well have to keep trying to figure out another invasion plan or a plan to get the other rebels out of prison," Katara revised.

"Cool, I know it's only been a few weeks, but I seriously miss Dad," Sokka confessed.

"You guys are lucky," Zuko mumbled.

The water siblings looked at him in confusion.

"Your dad loves you; he's not gonna try to kill you or push you away," he explained.

"Oh, sorry Zuko." The water boy put a hand on the Prince's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," Zuko shook his head.

"I'm sure our dad will be happy to meet you… even if you are a jerkbender!" Sokka piped up.

They all started laughing… though for Zuko and Katara, they weren't really laughing _with_ Sokka – they were just laughing at him for being such a try-hard. But he didn't need to know that.

"Come on you guys, we've been here long enough!" came Aang's voice from atop Appa's saddle.

The three older groupers looked up to see the young Avatar, Toph and their other three Earth Kingdom companions waiting for them.

"Let's go already!" Toph urged.

"Ok," the three said from below.

The water siblings climbed onto Appa.

"Momo!" Zuko called for the lemur that flew from behind a pillar a few meters away and came to rest on his shoulder.

Then he too climbed aboard the bison.

* * *

"They are at the Western Air temple. I have left some maps for you to use on the desk in the War Room. You and your friends can plan the attack tonight and set off in a few days. You must find them. When you do, capture Zuko and the Avatar – I want them bought to me alive, but kill all of their friends; make sure none of them escape! Do not harm your brother or the Avatar; I want to kill them myself. Just chain them up and bring them to me. Do you understand, Princess Azula?"

"Yes, Father," the Princess replied from her kneeling position on the ground. "I will not disappoint you."

"Good," the Fire Lord said. "Now go – the sooner you can plan the attack the sooner you will be able to launch the attack, and the sooner you are able to launch the attack the sooner I'll be able to kill Zuko and the Avatar, and the sooner I have killed Zuko and the Avatar the better! Now go!"

With that, Azula rose and left the throne room. As she walked up to her room, she thought she heard someone following her.

"Who's there?" she whispered, but her voice sounded far away. "Who's there?"

There was no reply and after a while, Azula began to walk again. After a minute, she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped and turned around.

"Who's following me?" Her voice sounded as if it was coming from the other end of the corridor she was in. But as Azula asked and looked, she saw the corridor was completely empty, asides from herself.

She turned and started walking again, feeling unsettled. Once again, there were footsteps behind her. Without stopping, she turned around.

There, following her, was a hooded figure. And from beneath the hood, staring at her, were golden eyes.

Azula started running. She looked back again as she ran past a window and the light from outside illuminated the face beneath the hood. In a flash, Zuko's face disappeared as the figure passed the window.

Azula kept running. She looked back again as she passed a lamp. Her brother's face was scratched and bloody. He had burn marks additional to the one their father had given him when he was thirteen.

They passed the lamp, his face was hided again.

Finally, looking ahead, Azula could see the door to her bedroom. But the hooded figure with her brother's face was gaining on her, fast.

_Just a little further, _she urged herself.

She reached out. Her fingers grasped the doorknob. The door swung open and slammed shut behind her as she entered.

Azula held onto the knob on the other side of the door and pressing all of her weight up against it as she panted in a mixture of fright and exhaustion. She prayed that the hooded figure wouldn't start trying to push through the door.

And he didn't.

Azula stayed frozen to the spot, pressing the door into its frame for a few minutes, until she stopped panting, but no one tried to force their way in. There wasn't a hint of noise or movement or any sign of a disturbance on the other side of the door.

The Princess let out a sigh of relief and let go of the door and stepped back. She turned around to move to her desk…

And jumped back in fright.

Standing before her, his hood pulled back so his distorted face was completely revealed, was Zuko. He stared at her with the most hateful eyes she had ever seen.

"You killed me," he whispered.

"No, Zuko I would never kill you –"

"You killed me," he hissed.

"Zuko, please, I didn't –"

"How could you kill me?"

"Please, believe me, I didn't –"

"YOU KILLED ME!"

His left hand shot up to her neck and his right hand flew beneath his robes.

He pushed his sister up against the wall and drew a dagger from his robes.

"NO!" Azula tried to scream, but she didn't have breath to speak it.

He raised the dagger.

"STOP!" she mouthed.

And suddenly her world was engulfed in flames. She opened her mouth in a never ending, silent scream. She saw the flash of a blade as it swung towards her and saw crimson follow it away again.

Her mouth still open, Azula tried to cover her ears as a bloodcurdling scream rented the air.

"Azula? Azula?!" a worried voice sounded distantly.

"Wake up! Azula what's wrong?" The voice sounded scared.

"Azula?"

The scream was still sounding.

"AZULA!" someone was shaking her.

The scream stopped and Azula opened her eyes. Leaning over her were the concerned faces of Mai and Ty Lee.

"Are you ok?!" Ty Lee asked franticly.

Azula tried to answer;

"I-I…Zuko…I…help…"

But she was too short of breath.

She realized she was panting. She also noticed she was covered in sweat and that her blankets were all twisted and wrapped around her and she was in her room.

Mai tried to sit her up. Azula's head was spinning. They sat in silence for a while, looking at each other in concern and confusion.

Finally, Azula caught her breath.

"I'm fine, it was just a bad dream," she said.

"Must have been a pretty bad bad dream," Mai commented.

"I'd say a nightmare," Ty Lee added.

"You were screaming."

"Pretty loudly too."

They sat in silence for a moment longer.

"Ya know, I wouldn't be surprised if you woke up half the palace just now," Ty Lee laughed weakly.

Mai and Azula followed suite.

"Well, what was the dream about?" Mai asked.

"Nothing, I don't wanna talk about it…" Azula said, and she meant it.

"Are you alright to go back to sleep now?" Ty Lee asked. "Or do you want Mai and I to come and sleep with you?" she joked.

They all laughed again.

"Oh, yes, please come and sleep with me; I'm ever so afraid," Azula squeaked sarcastically.

They laughed again.

"I'll be fine, you guys go back to your own beds," she said.

With that Mai and Ty Lee left her room.

Azula lay back in her bed.

_That was one hell of a dream,_ she thought to herself.

Mai had said she had been screaming. Was it her own scream that she had tried to block her ears from? She sure hoped that if it was, it hadn't been as loud as she thought it had been.

_Just a dream, just a dream._

Azula rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but she was too afraid to sleep again. What if she had another dream? What if she dreamed something that would haunt her more than this dream had? That would be really scary.

So Azula just lay there in her bed until the sun rose.

As she lay there, she thought back to her dream. The first part of the dream had been a replay of something that really had happened the previous day. She had had to put on her 'loyal to the Fire Lord, Princess Azula mask' and pretend that she was completely willing to complete the task at hand.

She had listened to her father give the instructions to attack them and kill them all except for the Avatar and Zuko. She had agreed to go along with the plan, although, behind the mask of the loyal Azula, the real Azula was screaming to be set free from her bindings and do as she pleased.

But the second part of her dream was pure nightmare.

After the meeting with her father, she had headed straight off to meat Mai and Ty Lee and she had gotten to her destination without any problems.

In her dream she had headed to her room and been chased by the hooded figure that was her brother.

She had spoken of her father's plan to Mai and Ty Lee and worked out how they were going to go about the task at hand.

In sleep, Zuko had accused her of killing him and he had attempted to kill her after the accusation.

The only suffering she had experienced that whole day was that of having to pretend she was willing to kill or assist in killing a waterbender, a water warrior, an earthbender and anyone or anyone else that was with the Avatar, as well as agree to leading he brother and the Avatar himself to their deaths.

What if it did come down to that though, in reality? What if, this time, the plan to capture the Fire Lord's prey actually worked? What if she really did have to kill the Avatar's friends and lead the Avatar and her own brother to their deaths? Would she be able to do it?

_No! Don't think about it Azula,_ she told herself, _they'll all be fine, they'll all escape, just like every other time._

But Azula could not fully convince herself.

* * *

Zuko held tight to the edge of Appa's saddle as they took off.

_Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down..._

This was the first time the Fire Prince had ever been flying while he was conscious. He knew that when Katara had beaten him at the North Pole and he had become unconscious, the gang had decided to take him to safety on the bison's back. But of course, he had been unconscious that whole time.

His gut was squirming in an uncomfortable manner and Zuko was begging himself not to start feeling sick.

_Come on Zuko, you've been on ships for years at a time; flying isn't all that much different and it's only till we get to the place we're meant to be setting up our next camp and start planning for another invasion and train._

Zuko took a few deep breaths in and tried to let go of Appa's saddle. After a moment he managed and then tried to sit back.

He caught Sokka's eye.

"You get use to it after a while," he said quietly.

"How long did it take you?" Zuko asked.

Sokka shrugged, "A while, but not too long," he answered after a minute.

Zuko just nodded.

_For some reason, I feel like this will take me forever to get use to._

The water boy seemed to read the Princes thoughts, "I'm sure you'll get use to it quicker than I did."

Zuko smiled. The water boy's words were comforting and he managed to relax a little.

"Sokka, can you come up here? I need some help with something," Aang's voice rang from his place on Appa's head.

"Coming!"

The water boy got up and left to assist his friend.

Zuko realized that he was sitting next to Katara. She raised an eyebrow at him as he looked at her.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

Zuko nodded, "Yes, everything's fine…" Zuko trailed off.

_No, everything's not fine, incase you haven't noticed I'm getting a little queasy from my first conscious experience flying! _Zuko had to resist the urge to shout this at her. But he managed to keep it to himself. _Just don't look down._

* * *

"Looks a little pale, doesn't he?" the water girl whispered to Toph.

"Hmm, I don't know, Katara, just let me have a look," the young earthbender said sarcastically. "Oh, wait a moment, I almost forgot; I'm blind!"

"Oh, right, sorry Toph," Katara said apologetically.

Toph just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, can you tell if Zuko's feeling ok? He looks a little pale," the waterbender said to her friend.

"Hold on, I'll ask him."

"No, I just did that and he said he was fine, but he doesn't look or sound fine."

"Ask him again, and I'll listen to his heartbeat to see if he's telling the truth or not."

"Ok." Katara turned to face Zuko again, "Zuko, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine," Zuko answered. "I'm just…"

The Fire Prince shuddered and quickly turned to lean over Appa's saddle before he threw up his breakfast.

"He's lying," Toph said.

"Yea, I figured."

"I don't think I really like flying," Zuko admitted.

Both the girls laughed and Zuko tried to laugh too, but his stomach hurt too much already and the shaking of laughter was only making him feel worse. So instead, he just stayed slumped over Appa's saddle just in case he needed to vomit again.

Katara reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Zuko, we all get a little sick sometimes," she said gently.

Zuko just kept looking over the edge of the saddle.

"Zuko, is it just that this is your first time flying or is there more to it? Are you unwell?" Katara admitted to herself that she was concerned.

Zuko blushed a little.

"Actually…" He was sure not to look at the waterbender and not to vomit while they were talking. "Don't tell anyone but… I'm afraid of heights."

_What? _Katara couldn't believe her ears, _you're afraid of heights? No way!_

The water girl had to resist the urge to laugh, "Y-you're afraid of heights?!" she asked, wanting to be sure to get her facts right.

The firebender nodded.

"Oh, well, why didn't you tell us?" Katara wondered out loud.

Zuko was silent for a moment before he answered, "I just thought you wouldn't be very happy to hear it and you'd think I'm weak," he admitted.

"Oh, Zuko, but… you've been staying at the Air Temple with us for the last few weeks – that's high up."

"Yea, but I still had solid ground beneath my feet then, I knew that I wasn't gonna go splat if I fell. I mean, I was a little nervous around the Temple, but I managed alright, so I thought I could handle this. Obviously, I was wrong."

"Well, we'll have to help you cope with flying and height cause if you're hanging with us, you're gonna be doing a lot of flying and that means you'll be up high a lot," Katara said, snickering inwardly at the thought.

"Oh, don't tell me that now, wait till we're back on land before you go saying that," the Fire Prince moaned.

"Sorry."

There was silence between the two of them while Katara thought of something to say next.

"So, how long are we meant to be flying for?" Zuko asked before she could say anything else.

"Um… like, all day. We probably won't be stopping tonight; it depends on how tired Appa is," the water girl answered.

"Oh, alright," Zuko said glumly.

Katara put a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll be ok, you've just gotta get used to the sensation of being up high and not having ground directly beneath your feet."

"Yea, easier said than done," the Fire Prince said.

"We probably will stop tonight," Toph's voice chimed in. "Appa isn't use to carrying all eight of us and our belongings all at the same time."

"Yea, you're right, Toph," Katara said. "Appa gets tired fairly fast with just the four of us and our belongings. You and the three other Earth Kingdom boys and your belongings plus Appa's armor will mean we'll probably have to walk part of the way."

Zuko sighed out loud.

"But for now, he seems pretty energetic; he hasn't done very much flying since we got to the Western Air Temple, so it'll probably be a while before we make our first stop," Toph said.

Zuko groaned. Katara laughed and then patted him on the head.

"You'll be alright," she said, a slight scowl on her face and a snicker tugging at her lips.

The Fire Prince rolled his eyes.

_I hope you will be anyway; I'm always the one who has to take care of everyone else when they're sick! _she thought.

Katara continued to worry slightly, but laugh to herself as she sat back in Appa's saddle and watched Zuko as he held to the edges of the saddle and leaned over the edge, every now and then to throw up.

_By the time we make our first stop, he'll have thrown up his whole stomach! _She wanted to laugh out loud, but another part of her wanted to do something so that he wouldn't be feeling so sick.

_Why should I care? It's not like he does anything for me. _

_You should care because you'd want him to care if it were you who was feeling sick._

_Why should I want him to care about me? I've got other friends who will care about me without a second thought._

_Because you're not always gonna have your friends around; sometimes, you just have to rely on whoever's there._

Katara was arguing with herself, again.

_Why do I have to be thinking two opposite things at the same time?_

_Because opposites attract, s_he answered herself.

_What's that suppose to mean? Opposites attract?_

_It like Yin and Yang. They're opposites and so they are attracted to one another. You can't have one without the other._

_Like day and night, dark and light, earth and air, they're opposites and so they attract and you can't have one with out the other. What other examples are there?_

Ok, so she was just going off topic; this always happened to her when they were flying long distances and there wasn't much conversation. She'd just start thinking about random stuff.

_You can't have happy and not have sad, if there is up there must be down, you can't have the moon without the sun, and you can't…_

_You can't have water without fire._

Katara almost gasped.

_Water and Fire are opposites. One cannot exist without the other. They are opposites and opposites attract._

Katara glanced over at Zuko, remembering her argument with herself from the night before and suddenly wanted to bash herself up.

_No, no, no! It doesn't mean anything like that!_

She continued to watch the Fire Prince. He wasn't as pale as he had been earlier; he seemed to be getting use to flying faster than they had thought he would.

_He is pretty good looking…_

_No! Katara what are you doing?! What are you on about?! He's good looking?! What's that suppose to mean?!_

_It means that I'm right when I say opposites are attracted to each other. I dunno about Zuko, but… I have to admit, it's not like I'm revolted at the mere sight of him._

Katara mentally slapped herself.

_Get a hold of yourself! You don't like Zuko! You are not attracted to him in any way, shape or form!_

_Are you sure about that? I don't think that's entirely true. I think I am attracted to him…_

_NO! No way are you attracted to a firebender! Especially not the prince of the firebenders!_

_Yes… I am._

_No, you're not!_

_I think I am…_

_You're not! You're not!_

_Wanna make a bet?_

_No! You feel no attraction towards him._

_How do you know that?_

_Cause I am you!_

_Then why am I about to do this?_

Katara thought this last line half panicked as she realized she was pulling Zuko around to face her.

"Um…Katara, are you alright?" he asked absolutely bemused.

The water girl was silent for a moment.

_Holy Guru! I almost kissed you!_

"I'm fine. I was just gonna ask you if you were feeling any better."

Katara only just managed to keep a steady voice and a straight face; she couldn't even force a snicker.

"Yea, I'm feeling a little better, I think I'm gonna get use to this a bit sooner than I thought I would," Zuko said.

"Great!" Katara half smiled, but it wasn't a completely friendly smile; more of a snicker mixed with a bit of embarrassment. She sat back and waited for Zuko to go back to looking around the sky before letting out a long sigh of relief.

_What the hell did I just do?!_

_You just stopped yourself from kissing Zuko, that's what._

_Why did I almost kiss Zuko?!_

_Because you two are opposites and opposites attract._

_But I'm not attracted to any other firebenders and I'm pretty sure they aren't attracted to me._

_It's not necessarily firebenders liking waterbenders; just simple attractions. You're a girl and he's a boy, girls are naturally attracted to boys._

_But not just any boys, why should Zuko be the one that I like?!_

_You don't get to choose who you're attracted to; your heart decides that._

_But why? _

_It just does._

Katara groaned inwardly. This was gonna be a long ride.

* * *

"C'mon girls, we have to get through this canyon before noon or we'll be an easy target for the platypus bears. They're most active during the early hours of the afternoon and this place is infested with them."

"Calm down Azula, we've got plenty of time before noon," Mai assured her.

"Sorry, I just wanna get this mission over and done with as soon as possible," the Fire Princess admitted.

The trio of girls had set off on their quest to capture the Avatar and the Fire Prince early that morning.

Mai and Ty Lee had acted pretty ordinary when they had set off, but both girls had noticed that their Princess had been acting strangely jumpy and seemed to be panicking about how fast they were making progress. But they had decided to keep their mouths shut. They didn't want to get Princess Azula in a bad mood, at least not this early in their trip.

So they had ridden on their lizards in silence for two hours until they had come to a rather large and eerie canyon.

"Azula, relax, we have three hours till midday; that's plenty of time to get through this thing," Ty Lee chimed.

"I know, I know," she grumbled bleakly.

They continued their journey in silence until they were somewhere close to the other side of the canyon.

"It's getting rather close to noon, maybe we should pick up the pace; the platypus bears will be waking up now," Ty Lee said.

Her two companions nodded in agreement and then made their lizards start running. Finally, they emerged on the other side and Azula sighed inwardly. They continued to run for another half hour to be sure that they were well out of the way of the reach of any canyon dwelling dangers.

They stopped by a small lake to eat some lunch and give their lizards a rest and stretch their legs.

* * *

"Ok guys, I'm gonna take Appa down now," the young Avatar called from his seat on Appa's head.

"Ok," was the joyful reply he received from his firebending teacher.

The flying bison began to descend.

The Fire Prince let out a sigh of relief as he felt the land beneath them drawing closer.

* * *

"What is that?!"

"What does it look like, Ty Lee? It's the Avatar's bison; they're here."

"You two, HIDE!"

Mai and Ty Lee obeyed Azula's orders with little hesitation. They grabbed the reigns of their lizards and led them into the trees, away from the clearing the flying bison was about to land in.

"Now, we'll attack when I say," the Fire Princess said. Her friends nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Land ho!" Sokka called as they thudded to the ground.

"Ok, that's good," Zuko breathed as he slid from Appa's back and lay on the ground, hugging it.

"I thought earthbenders loved the ground… I thought I loved the ground, but obviously you love it more," Toph giggled as she slid to the ground next to Zuko before remembering how much it hurt to walk and thumping to her backside with a gasp of pain.

Katara laughed in disbelief.

"We'll stay here for lunch. We'll have to start moving again soon though. From here, the plan is to walk to the edge of a nearby canyon that we need to cross and then we'll fly over the canyon. It's platypus bear infestedm so it's kinda dangerous to walk through it," the Water Tribe boy explained as they all unloaded anything they would need to use during their stop from the bison's saddle.

"How long are we stopping for?" his sister asked.

"Not long. We'll only stay here until we've finished eating… maybe a bit longer to digest," he answered, patting his belly thoughtfully.

"And then we'll be walking you say?" Zuko asked.

Sokka nodded. Zuko sighed. Toph cleared her throat.

"Oh, and I'm sure Zuko will carry you, Toph," the boy added, looking slyly and the Fire Prince.

Zuko scowled at him. "Fine by me," he answered coolly.

The gang were just about to start doing their own things when there was a rustling of bushes.

_

* * *

_

_Ok, here we go, _Azula thought to herself,_ time to do your duties to your nation. C'mon, you can do this._ Another part of her brain told her she had no choice.

She watched and waited along with Mai and Ty Lee. They all crouched behind a bush, waiting for the Fire Princess to give the order to attack.

Azula felt so much pressure on her at that moment. She felt this pressure every time she was being made do something that she desperately didn't want to do. And attacking the Avatar and his friends as well as her brother was the last thing she wanted to do, especially since it was a death sentence for all of them.

_You have to do this, and you've tried to do this before. The only reason you failed the other times was because you weren't prepared properly._

The Fire Princess had to resist the urge to laugh out loud.

_If I wasn't prepared last time then what am I this time? The plan was to attack them at the Western Air Temple under cover of night. It's the middle of the day and they just decided to land right where we were trying to enjoy our short lunch. If I wasn't prepared all those other times, then I'm definitely not prepared this time!_

The targets were starting to sit down. The waterbender girl was starting to make lunch with minimal help from her brother.

"Azula, what do we do?" Mai urged.

Azula discreetly gritted her teeth.

_I am Princess Azula; my duty is to the Fire Lord. I am his loyal servant._ She chanted this to herself like every other time she had to do something like this.

"Attack at will," she breathed.

* * *

In a split second after the bushes had began to rustle, a pink blur jumped into the midst of the gang. Immediately, without needing to see their visitor, they knew that Ty Lee had just somersaulted among them. Sokka ducked as she threw a jab at him and she missed by inches as Mai and Azula emerged from behind the same bush.

Katara was grateful for the lake they were next to and for her good reflexes as she created an ice wall to shield herself from Mai's flying weapons.

Aang stepped in front of Toph as Azula charged at her and blew the Fire Princess backwards. But she was up again in a flash and charging at them both again. A fire blast came in from the side and knocked her over again as Zuko came to his friend's aid.

"Thanks!" the blind girl shouted as he came over to them.

Before Zuko had time to make any kind of reply, his ex-girlfriend appeared at his side.

"Hey," Mai said giving a malicious smile.

The Fire Prince ducked as she threw a dagger at him and he head butted her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her and sending her staggering backwards a few meters. Before she could regain balance, Katara tripped her up with a water whip and she thudded to the ground on her back, hitting her head against a rock.

"Thanks Katara!" he called over to her, giving the girl he used to love a fleeting look of sorrow.

Katara nodded back before turning her attention to an attacking Ty Lee. But she was not quick enough. The acrobatic girl flipped over Katara's water whip and landed a pinch at a certain point on her right shoulder.

Katara's arms became limp and the water she had been bending fell to the ground with a splash. She gasped as the pink girl came back at her and landed a number of jabs in various pressure points all over Katara's body. Finally Katara fell limp to the ground, unable to move.

In a flash the young Avatar charged at Ty Lee. She dodged him nimbly and attacked back.

Zuko was just about to aid his friend when his ears were met with a scream from behind him. He whipped around to see his sister facing Toph, who was still on the ground, with a fist full of lightning at her fingertips.

Zuko dived for Toph and just managed to push the blind girl out of the way of the lightning. But he knew something was wrong. He could feel a sharp pain surging through him, reaching an almost unbearable amount of pain, the center of which seemed to be somewhere on the right side of his waist.

He had been hit by the lightning instead. He gasped in pain as his sister charged at him and the blind girl next to him.

* * *

Azula charged at her brother and the Avatar's earthbending teacher. She was ready to shoot Toph with a lightning blast.

_C'mon, you've done this before you can do it again, _she told herself.

Taking a deep breath, she created the lightning that would hurt her brother and kill the earthbender.

_Please, let anything happen so that I don't have to do this._

The Fire Princess would have given anything not to be charging at her brother and one of the Avatar's friends.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blur of blue and she knew that the Water Tribe boy had thrown his boomerang at her. Even though she had seen it coming, she knew that she couldn't stop the weapon from hitting her even if she tried.

_Here it comes!_

The Fire Princess closed her eyes and braced herself for the blow the boomerang would deliver and the pain it would bring. The Water boys boomerang made contact with her temple and she gasped in pain before letting herself fall; she didn't bother trying to stop the boomerang or keep herself upright.

As she lay on the ground before she became unconscious, she looked discreetly at her brother and was grateful that Sokka had caused her an injury.

_The best excuse not to hurt my brother, by far._

**

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**Ha, that was a long one. I hope you all liked it. Oh, I hope I didn't confuse you with the dream – everyone did get that the scene where Azula was getting chased by the figure that turned out to be Zuko was just a dream, right? **

**Please review me! Please! )B see my lemur eyes?**

**JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	7. Assistance

**Hey guys! Thank you to my people who kindly reviewed. I hope you like this chapter. And for those of you who read the story before I reposted it, I added the scene about Zuko being hurt – I had quite a few of my reviewers point out that I'd completely forgotten that I'd gotten him struck by lightning. Oops. So yea, I fixed that up. ^_^**

**R&R and enjoy!**

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**7. Assistance**

"Azula!" Ty Lee called out to her leader as she fell to the ground.

This momentary distraction was enough for the young Avatar to land a harmful attack on her. He sent her flying backwards with a large earth pillar and she splashed into the lake and disappeared under the water for a few seconds.

When she emerged, she was coughing and spluttering. She swam to the opposite bank, which she was closer to and dragged herself onto the shore.

"Let's get out of here!" Sokka yelled to his companions.

Aang and Toph nodded and the Avatar nimbly mounted Appa. Sokka hurried over to help Toph up before turning around again.

"Where's Katara?!" he said, half panicked after sweeping his eyes over Zuko.

The Fire Prince looked around and spotted the water girl's limp body on the ground, half buried by small rocks from Aang's earth pillar.

"I got her!" he called as he ran over to where she lay, ignoring the nagging pain in his side and clutching at the wound. The pain was quickly subsiding, which he was eternally grateful for.

He quickly unburied Katara and lifted her up and began to carry her over to the flying bison.

"Aang! Are you trying to kill my sister?!" Sokka shouted at his friend in annoyance.

"Sorry! I didn't see her there," the young boy apologized as Zuko passed her up to Sokka, choking on a gasp of pain as he stretched his arms up and caused a wave of pain to shoot through his side.

"Katara?! Katara, are you ok?!" he asked trying to shake his sister awake.

"Sokka, she's unconscious; shaking her like that is only going to make her worse," Zuko said.

The water boy stopped and lay his sister down in Appa's saddle and leaned over the edge to help the Fire Prince up.

"Thanks for getting her," he said.

"No problem," Zuko answered, smiling forcedly.

As soon as Zuko's feet left the ground, Appa took off. Zuko succeeded in ignoring the gut wrenching feeling of take off as he helped Sokka dust off Katara.

"She'll live," Toph reassured them as she placed a hand on Katara's chest to listen to her heartbeat. "She hasn't broken any bones, but she's in shock. The only other thing that hurt her was Ty Lee and she was already unconscious when the rocks fell on her."

Both boys sighed in relief. Then Sokka turned to Zuko, "Are you alright?"

Zuko nodded, "I'm fine."

"Let's see the damage on you, Mr. Show-Off-And-Be-The-Hero," Toph smirked. Zuko let the earthbender and Sokka take a look at his side, where Azula had struck him with lightning.

"I'm fine, guys. Really!"

Toph nodded in agreement, "He'll be fine. Katara's worse off than he is. We just need to patch him up a little and he'll be fine."

The Prince insisted on fixing himself up. He didn't want the others to go fussing over him. Once he'd wrapped a bandage around his stomach, patching up the wound in his side, he turned his attention back to the unconscious Katara.

"Where are we headed now?" Sokka asked as he looked over to where Aang sat on Appa's head.

"We're gonna fly until dark and then we'll land some place hidden and stay there the night. I think we're all gonna need a good night's rest after that one and Appa will definitely need some rest after all this flying," the boy replied.

Zuko half groaned and half sighed. They were going to fly till dark. Dark was a long way off. It didn't seem that they were stopping for lunch either.

_I think I'm gonna hate flying by the end of today._

But they were going to stop for the night. That was good. The Fire Prince would be able to eat something and have time to digest it instead of throwing it up like he had that morning's breakfast.

_At least I'll be able to eat something._

Suddenly, Toph spoke up.

"Although she doesn't seem to have any broken bones, her body is still in shock from getting knocked out so suddenly and then having the rocks fall on top of her. She needs to be kept warm or she'll die of shock."

"_What?!"_ Sokka was hysterical. "What do you mean, she'll _die_?!"

"I mean, her spirit will leave her body and pass on into the Spirit World and she will be lost forever," Toph said coolly. But before the Water Tribe boy could reply, Aang called from Appa's head.

"Hey, Sokka, I need your help with some navigating, come up here, please."

Sokka was about to give Aang a piece of his mind and tell him to do it himself and that he was busy when Zuko reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Just go and help him, Katara will be fine," he told him. "Toph and I will take care of her."

Sokka hesitated for a moment and then nodded and got up and went over to his Airbender friend.

Zuko and Toph turned back to Katara.

"What are you planning on doing?" the blind girl asked him.

"What I said I would; take care of her," he answered.

With that, the Fire Prince reached out and took Katara's water skin from around her and lay it aside. He took off his robe so that he was only wearing his shirt and pants and used it as a blanket for the girl. He wrapped it gently around her, making sure that she would still have room to move.

When he was done he knelt back to admire his work.

"Nicely done. I'm sure she'll be happy to see that someone is willing to go out of their way to save her life," the earthbender replied.

"I would have done the same for any of you," he said as his eyes swept over Toph, the three Earth Kingdom boys and Aang and Sokka.

The blind girl smiled. "I know you would have," she said. With that, she leant forward and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

He blushed slightly and looked around to see if anyone else had seen. No one had.

_Phew, _he thought as he sighed inwardly, before smiling at the little girl.

They were good friends and Zuko was almost certain that she thought of him as an older brother figure, like he thought of her as a younger sister figure.

* * *

"Ow, my head hurts," the Fire Princess said out loud as she rubbed her temple.

"Well, next time, keep your eyes on where the Water boy is and where his boomerang is," Mai told her.

Ty Lee laughed and patted both of their heads.

"I think we all need to pay more attention to our surroundings, maybe next time we won't fail our mission."

"Speaking of failing our mission, what's the plan now, Azula?" Mai asked.

Azula was silent for a moment. "We'll have to follow them secretly," she announced. "We need to find out where they're going so that we can beat them there."

"Ok, but we don't even know where they are now," Ty Lee pointed out.

"You were conscious when they left, did you see which way they went?" the Princess asked.

The acrobat nodded and then pointed back in the direction they had come.

"They headed towards the canyons again. My guess is, they'll fly until dark so that they'll be well past the canyon and then stop for the night."

"If that's true and we hurry, then we might be able to catch them wherever they stop before dawn," Mai said bleakly.

Both of her friends nodded. Picking themselves up off the ground, the trio made their way over to where they had left their lizards. They mounted quickly and then dashed off in the direction of the canyon.

All three girls stayed silent for the whole journey and they didn't stop all night. They traveled at a fairly fast pace, determine to find the Avatar and his friends before the sun rose.

* * *

Katara could feel that she was flying. She knew they had escaped from Azula and her friends and that she was safe on Appa's back. She felt so warm and her head was resting on something comfortable, like a cushion. But no, cushions don't move and whatever it was that Katara was leaning on was moving around a little.

The Water girl opened her eyes. Her vision was all blurry at first and she had to blink away sleep to focus. When she could finally see again, she saw that Zuko was looking down at her. He was kneeling down behind where her head was. Her head must have been on his lap.

She didn't know how to react. She wanted to jump up and push him away, but at the same time, she wanted to pull him in closer and…

Katara mentally slapped herself.

_What am I thinking?_

She looked up at Zuko's face. He looked concerned and tired. Katara hurt all over.

_Something more than just Ty Lee jabbing me must have happened. Something happened to me and hurt me and now Zuko's worried about me._

The Waterbender tried to smile, but only just managed. Nonetheless, this seemed to make the Fire Prince relax a little.

_Calm down, Katara, he's only trying to help you, _her conscience said. _He doesn't mean you any harm._

Katara decided to let things be and sighed out loud as she let herself doze off in Zuko's lap again.

* * *

"She's gonna be fine," the blind girl told the Prince, as the water girl went back to sleep.

"I know," he said. "I'm just worried for her physical health."

Toph nodded.

"Just don't let Sokka see you getting too comfy like that," she warned.

Zuko nodded. He looked up from the water girl for the first time in hours to see that the sun was beginning to set.

"We should be over the canyon in another hour," commented Haru, who had crept over to check on Katara. Firebender and blind earthbender nodded. There was silence for a moment, which Haru was the first to break.

"How is she going?" he asked, indicating to Katara.

"She's ok," Zuko answered. "She just woke up for a split second a moment ago."

Haru nodded and then turned back to Teo and The Duke.

Toph noted Zuko's unsteady heartbeat. "It's alright ,Firefly, they aren't even thinking that."

Zuko looked back at her and he knew she meant they weren't even thinking that he likes Katara as anything more than a friend.

"For now, they only think of you as her friend," she said.

Zuko's heartbeat calmed, but it didn't go back to normal. He wasn't completely reassured, but Toph's words were of some comfort.

* * *

"Hey, Sokka, I'm sorry I didn't look to see where Katara was before I dropped those rocks, I hope she's ok," Aang said apologetically.

The Water Tribe warrior sighed.

"It's ok, Aang. I guess it's kinda my fault cause I wasn't keeping an eye on her."

"It's not your fault," Aang comforted.

"Yea, well, anyways, Zuko and Toph are taking care of her." The boy took a look over his shoulder.

He could see Zuko had his sister's head in his lap and that he and Toph were talking to each other as they both watched the Water girl.

The boy's heart stopped for a moment as he noticed how the Fire Prince was handling his sister. He had the urge to yell at Zuko to get away from his sister and call him a pervert, but he quickly stopped himself.

_He and Toph are just taking care of her; he doesn't mean her any harm. He probably doesn't even know what it almost looks like he's doing._

The Water boy turned back to the young Avatar and told him to pick up the pace a little. The airbender obliged to his friends request and everyone on the bison's back - including Sokka, Aang and the semiconscious Katara - all gasped in shock, as Appa shot forward.

"I kinda meant gradually; I didn't mean so suddenly that even you would need a change of underwear!" Sokka yelled indignantly.

"Sorry!" Aang squeaked, trying to restrain himself from laughing.

Zuko, Toph, Teo, Haru and The Duke all burst into a laughing as they comprehended what had just happened.

"Mmm…'sgoin'oh'?" Katara mumbled, unintelligently in reaction to the amount of loud noise.

Aang couldn't hold back any more, he joined in with the laughter and soon Sokka was uncontrollable as well. Momo chattered loudly as the bemused sky bison turned his head to see what was so funny and almost started pelting down towards the ground.

All of his passengers cried out in shock and grabbed onto the saddle (except for Katara who was still only semiconscious) and stopped laughing. Appa grumbled apologetically as he steadied himself and each of the riders gave a nervous laugh as they continued to fly.

They cast each other sidelong looks and then went back to their own business.

"She'll be alright," Aang whispered to the water boy, as he continued to stare at his sister.

"Yea… I know she will be." Sokka turned back to the map and told Aang to steer Appa slightly to one side.

They continued the journey in silence.

* * *

"They're coming down a fair distance from the other side of the canyon. That bison looks ready to drop out of the sky; I think they'll have to stop for the night," Azula commentated, as she peered into her telescope.

Her friends cast each other side long glances behind their leaders back.

"The canyon should be safe to cross now; if it wasn't then we would have been attacked by now. If we keep moving, we should be able to reach them a few hours before sunrise and then we might be able to poke around a little and get a bit of information that will either help us plan their capture or will assist my father in this war."

Her friends nodded as they jumped down from the rock they were perched on and remounted and started forward again.

"So, when are we planning to attack?" Ty Lee asked.

The Princess thought for a moment.

"We'll attack them as the sun is rising; they'll all be off guard and if there is one on guard until a certain time then we'll have to think of a way to take them out without giving them time to warn the rest of them of our presence."

"You're so smart Azula!" the acrobat chimed.

"And what if they start waking up before sun rise?" Mai croaked.

"We'll be there before they start to wake again. If they do start to wake before sun rise, then we will take them out just as we notice them start to stir."

"I wish I had your brains!"

"Ty Lee, shut up about praising me will you? It's starting to get on my nerves."

The girl's smile dropped as she looked at Azula in confusion from behind her.

"Ok, sorry," she mumbled, unsure if she had done something more to get on her leader's nerves.

Maybe it was just the fact that things weren't going according to plan. Ty Lee hoped that it was just a phase and it would pass by sun rise when they had their prey.

Time seemed to slow as the sun sank lower and lower. The girls continued through the canyon in a silence of nervousness and anticipation.

* * *

"We're getting ready to land guys; there's a nice clearing just down there in the forest. We're gonna set up camp there for the night," Sokka called from the front as they descended on the bison's back.

"Finally," Zuko breathed and rolled his eyes at this news and Toph started to laugh.

"I know how you feel… kinda. I don't like flying because I have a harder time seeing. And the fact that I still can't use my feet doesn't help." She stopped short as she realized it was Zuko she was talking to.

"Sorry, I really am –"

"I know you are, you don't have to apologize anymore, I need to remember not to bring it up in front of you; I keep making you feel guilty."

"No you don't."

"You do know I can tell you're lying, even if I can't see or tell things apart very well, I can still detect that WHOA!"

Appa made contact with the ground and the earthbender tumbled over to the other side of the saddle. Zuko and the other Earth Kingdom boys sitting in the saddle with them started laughing. The earthbender blushed madly and straightened up as best she could.

"Shut up!" she growled trying to hold back laughter at the same time. The others didn't follow her order and she soon couldn't stop herself from laughing too.

"Hey! What's so funny back there?" Sokka called from the front as he and Aang turned around.

"Is Katara awake yet?" the Avatar asked eagerly.

"No, not yet. We were just laughing at Toph," Zuko answered as he indicated to the blind girl.

"Shut it, Firefly!" She made to throw a rock at him, but when nothing happened she remembered she was on Appa's back and that there were no rocks to throw. Her face fell into a droopy frown and she blushed harder.

The Duke, Teo and Haru started laughing again and so did Sokka. But Aang and Zuko looked at her, partially sympathetic.

"Ok guys, I think that's enough. She can get away with this sort of thing because she can't see." Zuko looked around for something to distract them from Toph's situation, but Aang supplied for him.

"At least she doesn't go crashing into walls because she couldn't be bothered fixing her breaks."

All was quiet for a moment as everyone focused on the tomato red Teo. His lips were pressed tightly together in a thin line and Aang thought for a moment that he had said the wrong thing. But suddenly the young boy's face cracked into a super, ear to ear grin and he started cackling loudly.

Everyone else, Toph included, started laughing madly as well.

They slowly unloaded the bison's saddle. Sokka and Aang worked together to help Toph, Teo, Zuko and the still unconscious Katara to the ground.

"Aaahhh…" Toph sighed as she sat down, "that's better. No offence Appa; I just like to be able to see properly… or the way I call proper anyways."

Aang set up a campfire in the middle of the clearing and Zuko supervised as Aang lit it.

"Well done, pupil Aang, you've learned some good self control," the Fire Prince congratulated the young Avatar. Aang smiled widely.

Sokka carried Katara over and lay her near the campfire, but not too close.

"Hey, why is she wrapped in your robes, Zuko?" he asked suspiciously.

"Uh… Toph said that if she wasn't kept warm she'd die of shock!" The Firebender held his hands up in front of him defensively.

Sokka raised an eyebrow at him and then turned to face the young earthbender.

"Toph?"

"It's true – she'd probably already be dead if Zuko hadn't have given her the robe," she confirmed.

"Ok then," he nodded curtly at Zuko.

Once he turned away, the Fire Prince let out a sigh of relief and whispered a thank you to Toph.

"Ok, seeing as Katara is in no state to cook, I guess that means Sokka's making dinner tonight!" Aang announced.

"What?! Why me?!" the water boy asked indignantly.

"Because you know how to and you're certainly better than any of us. Unless…" Aang trailed off and looked over to Zuko.

Everyone else followed his gaze to the Fire Prince who stood there, tuning so red you almost couldn't see his scar.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that! I can't cook!" His voice cracked slightly as he spoke and once again put his hands out in front of him defensively.

Sokka sighed in annoyance and frustration.

"Oh, jeez, if you're so unhappy about having to cook I'll try and help. Just please don't start whining," the Prince sighed.

Sokka's eyes lit up and he let out a whoop. Zuko realizes his mistake and sighed in exasperation and followed Sokka over to where they had set the food down.

It was dark by the time Zuko announced that dinner was ready. Most of the time had been spent debating what they were making for the gang to eat and how much they were going to make.

"I didn't know you were so stubborn with what you cooked and ate, Zuko," Toph commented as he sat down next to her and handed her a bowl of the soup he and Sokka had made.

He shrugged and settled back to eat.

They all ate in silence and Aang froze the leftovers with waterbending.

"Hey Zuko, when Katara wakes up, will you warm that up for her if she's hungry?"

"Why are you asking me?" he asked rubbing his tired eyes.

"Cause you're taking first watch," Aang said simply.

"Oh, ok," Zuko said bleakly.

Everyone started to set up sleeping bags to settle down for the night, except for Sokka, who had been assigned dish duty. Zuko had to resist the urge to gag at the smell of the Water boy's sleeping bag as he set it up for him.

Everyone except the Fire Prince settled into their sleeping bags and shut their eyes.

"Let me know if anything happens," the young Avatar mumbled.

"I will."

"And wake me up if you think you're gonna fall asleep."

"Ok."

The young boy sighed and fell asleep and the firebender sighed and made himself as comfortable he could without risking falling asleep.

* * *

"Stop – we'll set up camp here," Princess Azula ordered.

The trio halted their lizards and slid off their saddles and stretched their aching joints.

"Why are we stopping here?" Mai asked.

"Because, if we set up our camp too close to theirs, then we might attract some unwanted attention," the Princess explained. "We don't want to attack them until dawn, so we don't want them to know we're here. We'll go the rest of the way to their campsite by foot, but after we finish eating; I'm starving."

They started to unload their sleeping bags and their food and Mai and Ty Lee cast each other confused looks.

"Since when does she get hungry when we're on a mission?" Mai asked.

Ty Lee shrugged, "She's been acting really strange lately."

"I know."

The girls quickly stopped the conversation as their friend asked if they knew where the maps were. Mai quickly got them out of her bag and gave them to her.

"You asked me to hold onto them, remember?" She cocked an eyebrow at the Fire Princess who furrowed her brow, trying to remember.

"I did too, didn't I?" she said with a slight laugh.

Her friends gave her worried looks that they didn't bother trying to hide from her. She smiled nervously and bit her bottom lip.

"You know, I'm gonna go and sit over there, ok?" she indicated to a log at the edge of the clearing.

Mai and Ty Lee nodded as she turned and headed over to it. Once she was out of earshot they turned to each other.

"I think that Water Tribe boy must have given her concussion with his boomerang. She really isn't acting like herself."

"I dunno, I don't think the boomerang to the head is the only thing making her act strangely. She's been acting strange since the other night when she had that dream. Maybe something's up," Ty Lee suggested.

"But what?" Mai pondered.

"A boy, maybe?"

"I don't think Azula's the type to go chasing boys."

"Actually, at Ember Island she tried to get with Chan."

"What? How do you know?" Mai asked, looking surprised for a rare moment.

"She told me herself she was jealous of my boy magnetism," Ty Lee answered.

Her friend continued to look bemused.

"Anyway, I reckon something's going on," she continued.

"Same," Mai agreed.

But the two girls decided not to talk about it any more for the moment.

* * *

Azula looked through the maps. _Where is it? _She asked herself worriedly. She shuffled through the maps, growing more and more worried by the second. _URGH! If I've lost it I'm gonna kill myself!_

Finally, she saw a red map in amongst all of the gold and cream and brown maps and she quickly extracted it. She sighed in relief.

"You alright?" Ty Lee's worried voice came from over near the small campfire.

"Yes, fine, just found something that I thought I lost!" she shouted back hurriedly.

The acrobat accepted her answered and turned back to her conversation with Mai. Azula sighed again, this time making sure not to do it loud enough for her friends to hear.

_I sure hope they don't suspect anything, _she thought as she slipped the red map into her small bag.

She joined her friends in eating a small dinner of bread and rice and quickly scoffed it down as discreetly as she could and she set her bowl down near the campfire.

"I'm gonna go and take first watch. You two stay here and wait for me. I'll come back for you when they start waking up or when I feel it's time to catch them," she announced, making herself sound as determine as she could.

She left the campsite and her two friends stayed where they were.

* * *

"Mmm…wrmahh?" Katara groaned as she opened her eyes. She felt a warm hand stroke her head.

_So warm…_

The water girl cleared her throat and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes so that she could see properly. She looked up to see Zuko looking down on her again, but this time it was dark and she could feel she had solid ground beneath her.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"We stopped for the night on the other side of the canyon. Aang used an earth pillar to get rid of Ty Lee and he kinda dropped it on you, so you kinda went unconscious all afternoon," he explained.

"Oh," she grumbled bleakly.

"How are you feeling?" Zuko asked.

Katara thought for a moment.

"Um… I feel like I've been crushed by something; Aang's earth pillar I'm gonna guess. And so yea, I hurt all over."

They both laughed at her comment.

"And seeing as I didn't get a chance to eat lunch and by the looks of it I missed dinner, I'm feeling pretty peck-ish," she patted her stomach.

"Oh, yea, we saved you some of the soup we had for dinner. C'mon, I'll warm it up for you," he helped her sit up.

Katara squirmed out of her sleeping bag and gave Zuko back his robes. The Fire Prince unfroze the bowl of soup and within a few seconds it was steaming. He handed it over to her.

_He's hot… in more ways than one._

_Stop thinking like that!_

_Why? It's true._

_Cause I said not to._

_Hey, you can't deny the fact that you do like him._

_I know but… URGH!_

Katara's brain stopped battling itself as she took a spoonful of the soup and started to choke.

"Careful, it's hot!" Zuko warned as he passed her some water.

"Now you tell me?!"

"Hey c'mon, you saw me warm it up!"

Katara chuckled.

"Who cooked?" she asked.

Her eyes swept over her brother before returning to Zuko.

"Um… your brother."

"Just my brother? It tastes too good for it to have just been him," she cocked an eyebrow at the Prince.

"We'll, your brother started complaining when everyone looked at him when it was dinner time. They all reckon he's the best cook next to you, but then he didn't wanna do it and he reminded everyone that I haven't cooked. I said I was hopeless but he kept fussing so I said I'd help."

"You helped make this?" She rose and eyebrow at him. "You must have a natural talent, cause my brother can't cook _this _well."

Zuko blushed slightly, "Well… um…" He gave a shaky laugh and smiled, all the while turning redder.

They sat in silence for a moment until Katara came up with something to say.

"Hey, you were taking care of me after we escaped, weren't you?" she asked.

"Oh, yea, I guess I was."

"Why did you take care of me?"

"Well… someone had to. Aang was guiding Appa, Sokka was helping him navigate, the boys were talking about whatever they talk about and Toph was… actually, Toph was helping me take care of you. So it wasn't a single effort," he explained.

"But you did help a lot, didn't you?" she pressed on.

"Yes, I guess I did."

Katara frowned into her food for a little while and then, slowly, her eyes widened. "Did anyone else get hurt?" she asked.

Zuko looked at her in surprise for a moment, "No… I mean –" He cut himself off as he absentmindedly found himself clutching at his side, where Azula had struck him. It didn't hurt that much. It only hurt a little.

"Let me see," Katara demanded, sitting forward.

"No, really, I'm fine, it's just…"

Katara pulled her water-skin out, and before Zuko could do anything more to protest, she pushed him so he was sitting back and pulled the side of his shirt up, revealing the bandages wrapped around the wound. Gently, she unwrapped them and examined the wound before putting a glowing hand of water over it.

Zuko watched in silence as the wound simply disappeared, taking the ache away with it.

"Jee… thanks," he smiled as she sat back.

"Anytime."

Katara lay her water-skin aside again and then looked back up at the scarred Fire Prince.

_What are you thinking Katara?_

_Hey, you're my mind; you're doing the thinking, so you should know._

_Yea, well, it's not my fault if I'm confused by your teenaged hormones!_

_Get over it! You know exactly what I'm thinking!_

_Really? What am I thinking then?_

_You're thinking, this guy really cares about me, _Katara's mind put on a little flirty girl's voice, _he's so nice and he's hot and strong and he's a prince!_

_So? What do you want me to do about it?_

_Kiss him!_

_What? No!_

_Why not?_

_Why yes?_

_Cause you love him._

Katara sighed out loud in annoyance with herself. Zuko cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Just thinking." She took another spoonful of her soup, this time being careful to blow on it so she wouldn't burn herself.

_Just because I like him doesn't mean I need to kiss him!_

_Well do something!_

_What?_

_C'mon, he saved you're life! At least say thank you._

_Ok, ok, I'll say thank you._

She cleared her throat again and looked at Zuko.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Um… I just wanted to say… er… thank you, I guess. For saving me and taking care of me and all that," she stuttered.

"Ok, no worries," Zuko smiled.

_C'mon Katara, kiss him. You know you want to._

"And – and thanks for making dinner with Sokka. That's really helpful of you."

"No problem," he shrugged.

The waterbender could feel a blush rising to her cheeks.

_Go on, kiss him!_

_No._

_Smoochy-smoochy!_

_Please stop it._

_You know you want to._

_No I don't._

_Yes you do, you know I'm right._

_Alright, maybe I do, but so?_

_Kiss him already._

_But-_

_Just do it!_

_Let me think about this for a minute._

_YOU__** ARE**__ THINKING ABOUT IT! KISS THE BOY ALREADY!!_

"Uuuuhhhhh…" She looked at Zuko again.

"You ok?" he asked looking and sounding a little worried.

"Yes."

The boy could see her blushing.

* * *

Azula swore under her breath as she stumbled. She went to hitch her bag a little more securely on her shoulder, only to find it was no longer there.

"Oh, shit!" she whispered loudly.

The Princess whipped around and started searching for it. She retraced her steps back towards the campsite. Finally, she spotted it caught on a bramble on a bush. She sighed out loud and quickly grabbed it and opened it.

She shuffled through it and finally found what she was looking for; the red map. She pulled it out and looked at it again; just to be sure she had stolen the right one. Yes, it was the right one. She sighed again.

She stowed it back in the bag and started heading towards where she knew the Avatar's campsite to be. She walked on for five minutes before she saw the glow of a campfire.

Azula approached carefully, being sure not to disturb anything or step on anything that would give her away.

Crouching behind a bush, she peeked into the campsite. Two voices could be heard much to her dismay.

_Damn it! This isn't gonna be easy._

Quietly as she could, she reached inside her bag and took out the map and a small piece of parchment with a note scribbled on it. She attached the parchment to the map and crouched forward to get a better view of the campsite.

She looked to see who the two voices belonged to and she saw her brother and the water girl were the talkers.

_Great, the last person I want to see me right now is Zuko, but he just has to be awake at this moment, doesn't he? And of course, he isn't the only one awake._

She listened to the conversation.

"Uuuuhhhh…"

"You ok?" her brother asked the girl.

"Yes," the girl said, blushing.

Azula raised an eyebrow.

_What's going on here?_

The girl had put down her bowl of soup and was kneeling forward.

"Katara…?" Zuko trailed off as her face came closer to his. He held his breath.

"Zuko…" she breathed.

He swallowed. His mouth was dry and the girl was drawing closer.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"Just…"

Their faces were inches apart. Zuko could count every single one of her eyelashes. He looked into those two pools of enchanting blue and felt like he could melt. His heart started beating double time.

He started leaning in towards her and as he came closer, they both shut their eyes.

Azula couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her brother had his lips a centimeter away from the water girl's. She held her breath and leaned forward to get a better look at the action.

_Oooohhhh, Mai is gonna be sooooo jealous!_

Her heart skipped a beat as she held her breath and the gap between the two benders began to close.

But suddenly, she was leaning too far forward. She gasped loudly as she fell forward and almost into the clearing. She couldn't help but yelp as her jaw hit a rock and she bit her tongue.

_Oh shit!_

She quickly scrambled back as she heard the couple's alarmed voices.

Gathering up her bag and dropping the map and note on the ground where it would be noticeable, she squirmed backwards until she was far enough away from the clearing to stand up without being noticed and she ran for it.

Back towards her campsite.

Back into the dark.

Back towards her friends.

As she ran, she cursed herself.

_Damn! They were so close to being lip locked! Why did I have to screw it up like that?!_

* * *

"What was that?!" Zuko and Katara asked in alarmed union as they sat up properly and opened their eyes as they looked towards a clump of bushes at the edge of the clearing.

There was a burst of movement and the sound of running footsteps that faded quickly.

"Aang! Sokka! Toph! Guys, wake up!" Katara roused her friends.

"What is it?" the Avatar asked in alarm.

"Something, or someone was in the bushes," Zuko explained hurriedly. "They ran off by the sounds of it, as soon as they noticed they'd given themselves away."

"Should we follow them?" Katara asked.

The young airbender thought for a moment then shook his head.

"I'm sure if they were a threat to us, they would have attacked us. But still, let's go and take a look over there just to see if they left any clue as to who they are."

Everyone got up and out of their sleeping bags and gathered around the bush the noise had issued from, Toph had to crawl over.

Aang pulled the branches of the bush back; no one was there.

They all let out held breaths.

They all turned to leave, thinking there was nothing left behind of the sneak, when something caught the Fire Prince's eye; a hint of red, just where he could see it from where he was standing.

"Hold on!" he reached into the bush and grabbed the object. He turned and held it up so that he could see it properly. They all looked at it in silence.

"What is it?" Toph asked. "From here it just looks like a bit of paper."

"That's because it is," Zuko said. He walked over to the campfire and sat down so he could examine it properly. Unrolling it, he quickly called the others over. They all gathered behind him and looked at it over his shoulder.

"It's a map!" Teo, The Duke and Haru exclaimed together.

"What of?!" Toph asked eagerly.

"The Fire Nation capital by the looks of it," Sokka answered.

"Not just any old map of the capital; it has where the war prisoners are being kept and it has a detailed map of the palace!" Zuko informed.

"No joking! This is where our dad and the others who were captured on the day of the eclipse are being held?!" Katara pointed to where the war prison chambers were located. In black writing the word _occupied _was scribbled over where the prison chambers were.

"I think so," he agreed.

"Wow! Do you think that map is up to date? I mean, I could be really old and inaccurate," Sokka suggested.

"Nah, it's a newer one. I can tell because this gate only just got installed the day before the eclipse. Besides, if you look up the top it, actually has the date this map was made. See, it was made on the day after the eclipse!" the Prince pointed out.

They all looked in stunned silence at the map for a moment.

"This is great! This map could be really useful. Thank you to whoever left it behind that bush!" Sokka praised to the heavens.

"But how did a map like this get all the way out here?" Zuko asked.

"Whoever was hiding behind that bush probably accidently left it there," Katara suggested.

"I don't think so," Aang said. Everyone looked at him, but he was looking on the back of the map. He reached out and pulled something off the back and looked at it, everyone else looked too.

"It's a note," he pointed out. "It says; _just thought you could use some assistance defeating the Fire Lord. I thought this might help. I sure hope it does and I hope you can make a plan to get into the Fire Nation and overthrow the Fire Lord soon._" Aang read.

They all sat in silence for a moment.

"Well, at least we know we have friends close to the Fire Lord," Sokka said.

"And by the sounds of that, I'd say they really are our friends," Toph added.

"But why were they spying on us? Or sneaking around at least?" Katara asked.

"Maybe they thought we mightn't trust them and we would just attack them on sight," Teo suggested.

"Or maybe they don't want us to know who they are," The Duke put in.

"Who cares? This is great!" Sokka punched the air.

They all exchanged looks with a mixture of uncertainty and joy.

"You don't think it's a trap?" Toph asked everyone.

They all shrugged and exchanged looks again.

"Well, it'll have to do for now."

They all agreed on that and everyone when back to bed with smiles on their faces. Zuko and Katara were the only two that stayed up.

Katara sat up in her sleeping bag and watched Zuko examining the writing on the note. He seemed entranced.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yea," he nodded.

She waited, but he didn't say anymore.

* * *

**Lol, my evil plan is slowly coming to life! Go Azula! The poor girl though, you've got to admit, I'm really putting her through hell. Well, you'll all keep reading if you like the story, I'm sure. What did you think of the Zutara almost-kiss? Tell me in your reviews! **

**JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	8. Almost

**Alright, starting up where we left off. You all know the drill – READ! REVIEW! ENJOY! XD**

* * *

**8. Almost**

Azula trudged back into the campsite. She was wearing a mask of anger and annoyance. Mai and Ty Lee looked up at her in worry. She stood by the campfire and glared into it. Her friends waited in silence; they knew she had news and that it wasn't going to be good.

She took a deep breath and turned to face them. "They moved on hours ago," she said simply.

Mai and Ty Lee slumped there shoulders.

"What do you mean "they moved on hours ago"?" Mai asked in disbelief.

"I mean, I was just at their campsite and the fire had been put out hours ago. All of the clues that say they were ever there are hours old; I can tell by how faded and distort the clues are. They moved on hours ago," she explained, making sure to sound exasperated.

Her friends groaned and slumped again.

"Now what?" Ty Lee asked.

"Let me guess; we're gonna mount the lizards and go after them again." Mai sighed, "fine, I'm getting ready to mount."

"Actually, I was thinking we could just stay here for the night and set off again in the morning," Azula said.

Mai and Ty Lee turned to look at her, baffled.

"Say what?!" they asked in disbelieving union.

"I said we can stay here the night and move on in the morning," the Princess repeated calmly, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary for her to say.

The girls gave each other confused looks that they didn't bother hiding.

"I'm quite tired and so are you guys. I think we need to stop for a rest," she proclaimed.

The girls remained confused as they snuggled into their sleeping bags, but they did not question their leader.

It was a relief to be having a rest after a hard day's (and night's) work.

* * *

Zuko sat by the fire and watched Katara. She had dozed off just after everyone else.

_What just happened? _He couldn't get the question out of his head. Her face had been so close to his. Their lips had been millimeters apart. They had been a heartbeat away from kissing! Zuko's heart leaped at the thought of it.

He could practically taste her they had been so close. Her warm breath on his face made him feel giddy with butterflies. He had felt so warm and it wasn't because he was a firebender.

But then everything had stopped when the sneak had stumbled behind the bush and disturbed the silence of the night.

They had almost kissed. He had almost had his whish come true.

_Almost! That sneak spoilt everything. _He silently cursed whoever had left the map and note for their bad timing.

_What? You couldn't have waited five minutes?! _He didn't curse too hard though. After all, whoever it had been had left them some extremely useful information.

_Almost._

_Not quite._

Zuko made himself think of the more positive side of things.

_I'll get another chance. Who knows when, but I'll get another chance._

He smiled to himself as Katara rolled over in her sleep.

* * *

Azula sat by the campfire and stared into the flame. She rubbed her jaw where it hurt from being slammed into a rock. She'd almost knocked all of her teeth out, she was sure of it.

_That was one hard rock, t_he girl thought, as pain shot through her tongue. _I'm almost positive if I had bitten by tongue much harder it would have dropped off!_

She cursed pain as she began to taste blood in her mouth again. Then she remembered why she hadn't been paying enough attention to her surroundings to not stumble.

_How close did Zuko and that waterbender girl come to kissing?! _Her insides squirmed with happiness for her brother. _Why did I have to go and stuff it up for him?!_

Princess Azula mentally kicked herself.

_They almost kissed. Why did I have to go and ruin it?!_

_And then I almost got myself caught! Jeez, I need to be more careful. I need to not pay attention to how close to a lip lock my brother is... as interesting as that is!_

Azula smiled at the thought of her brother being in a happy relationship with someone who isn't boring and depressing. She looked over at her sleeping friend and laughed to herself.

_If Mai found out, would she be jealous?! _Azula half hoped she would be. _Teach her to be on the Fire Lord's side of the war._

But Azula had almost gotten caught. Had anyone seen her? Had anyone followed her back to the campsite? Was anyone watching her like she had been watching them? The thought made her insides wriggle uncomfortably.

_They better have checked behind that bush and found that map. If they didn't I'm gonna die!_

Azula silently prayed to the Gods that they had found it. If they hadn't, then how was she suppose to help them? They needed that map if they didn't have any other plans on how to get the other rebels out of prison.

_I almost got them caught by following them here, _she thought.

She had almost had to capture them, but luckily for her, she had had quick enough thinking to tell her friends that they had moved on while they weren't looking.

_If they can just figure out a decent plan then this war is almost over._

* * *

Her name sounded so sweet when he said it. They were so close, Katara was certain that they were about to kiss. She could practically taste him. She wanted to melt. The waterbender shut her eyes and lent in towards Zuko and he did the same. His lips brushed hers and her heart swelled so that it felt as if it were going to burst. They pulled apart and he smiled gently at her.

"Katara, time to wake up," he said softly and she could feel a gentle hand shaking her, but his remained by his side.

Katara opened her eyes to find the Fire Prince leaning over her… again.

"Good morning," he greeted her.

Katara sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stretched.

"Good morning," she yawned.

"C'mon, time to start getting ready. Your brother and Aang want to leave in an hour," he told her.

She nodded as he stood up and walked over to the camp fire again.

_Wow now, I haven't dreamed that sort of thing before._

_Ha, well you only dreamed it because it almost happened. _

_Yea, well it didn't happen, ok?_

_But it was going to, you were going to do it and he was going to let you. But then, whoever it was that was hanging around the campsite last night ruined the moment._

Katara sighed. Why couldn't that sneak have just waited two more minutes before making a commotion? Why couldn't they have just let them kiss?

The water girl got up and went to join her companions by the fire.

_We almost kissed!_

Katara felt like she was going to explode with happiness.

_Zuko was actually going to let me do it too!_

She looked over to the firebender and smiled at him. He saw her and smiled back. They watched each other for a moment before Zuko indicated for her to come and sit next to him. She blushed and went and sat down with him, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Ok, we still have a fair bit of left over soup from last night, so we'll just eat that for breakfast," Aang announced.

Everyone agreed and was served a bowl of the steaming substance. They all ate in silence. Katara could see Zuko watching her out of the corner of her eye and wondered if anyone else had noticed he was watching her.

"Katara, are you feeling alright?" Sokka asked, looking concerned.

The girl's head shot up so she could look at her brother.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, you look a little red, that's all," he commented.

Toph gave a giggle from behind the water warrior and everyone turned to see what she was laughing at.

"What's so funny?" Haru asked.

"Oh, nothing. Don't mind me," she said as she grinned.

"I'm fine, Sokka," Katara assured her brother, taking all the attention off Toph.

He nodded and everyone went back to their food except for her, Toph and Zuko. Katara watched as the Prince glared at Toph. She seemed to know that she was being glared at and stuck out her tongue at him. After a moment Zuko noticed Katara watching them. He blushed and smiled at her.

Katara raised an eyebrow at him and then turned back to her breakfast.

* * *

Azula, Mai and Ty Lee rushed about their campsite, packing up anything that had been used for breakfast or left out over night.

"So, where are we headed now, Azula?" the acrobat asked as she poured over the map.

"We'll head towards the capital. They're ahead of us now, but from what I'm gathering, they seem to be heading back towards home," she announced.

"If we move fast enough, we might be able to see them in the air by the time we are clear of the forest," Mai piped up quietly.

Azula nodded and mounted her lizard. The weapon specialist snatched the map out from under Ty Lee's nose and stuffed it into her bag. The two girls mounted in union and the trio headed back east, towards home.

* * *

"Oi, Firefly!" Toph tugged on Zuko's robe. She gestured for him to kneel down so that she could whisper something to him. "What got into you and Katara?" She rose an eyebrow at him and smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"You two were acting a little bit flirty at breakfast and your heartbeats were telling me that something happened." She paused for a moment. "Yours is telling me something happened at this very moment. Remember, a heart can't lie. Yours is telling me that something happened and you know exactly what I'm talking about."

The Blind Bandit didn't need to see to know that the Prince was blushing. She smiled in satisfaction.

_Ok Mister, start spilling the beans._

"Ok, well, she woke up last night just before that big commotion that woke everyone up," he began.

"Yes, I noticed that she was a little bit more awake than I would have expected her to be. I only expected _you_ to be that wide awake," she commented. "So… what happened?"

"Well, she knew that I had taken care of her while she was unconscious and I told her that dinner was a team effort between me and Sokka and then… well, she said thank you and then…" Zuko trailed off and looked around to make sure everyone else was out of earshot. He took a deep breath and leaned in a little closer to Toph and dropped his voice a little more. "She kinda leaned in and… oh Toph it was almost like a dream come true! We were half a centimeter apart!"

Toph's face had a splitting grin spread across it and she was shaking with silent laughter.

"So, how was your kiss then? Did it last a while or was it quick? Was there tongue? Did she put her arms around you? Did you put yours around her?" she asked eagerly.

"Toph… I said _almost _like a dream come true," he said slumping.

The blind girl's grin faded.

"What? You mean you didn't kiss?" she asked in dismay. "Why not? What happened?"

"We weren't even a centimeter apart and then… that someone that left us the map stumbled behind the bush and yelled out and gave us both a heart attack. And then we went and woke everyone else up and then the moment was gone," he explained.

"You didn't kiss?" she asked in disappointment.

Zuko shook his head. Both of them slumped. Suddenly, Toph straightened up again.

"You _almost _kissed!" she said, smiling widely. "That at least counts for something!"

"I guess so, but still, it would have been better if we actually had."

"So? Hey, you know what this means, don't you?" she asked.

The Fire Prince shrugged.

"She likes you! She doesn't hate you, she has good feeling for you!" she laughed.

"You're right! And hey, I mightn't have gotten the kiss itself this time round, but it just means that next time, she probably won't be so hesitant."

"That's right. Now what did I tell you? I said she doesn't really hate you."

"Well, from now on I think I'm gonna take your word on things like this."

The blind girl nodded in agreement.

"But don't tell her I told you."

"Ok, I won't tell anyone you almost got a smooch from Sugar Queen," Toph pledged.

"Hey Zuko! Come help me with this damn thing will you?" came the water warrior's voice from over near Appa. "Bring Toph over too."

"Coming!" Zuko called back. He stooped over and lifted Toph up and carried her over to Appa and sat her in the saddle.

"You're responsible for her if she falls off while you help me secure this," Sokka warned.

"You holding on tight up there, Toph?"

"You bet I am! I've got enough injuries, thank you very much," she called back.

Toph held on as Zuko and Sokka adjusted the straps on the bison's saddle and she felt Katara climb into the saddle next to her.

"Good morning, Sugar Queen!" she greeted her.

"Morning Toph," she said, "you seem to be in a particularly good mood at the moment."

"I am," Toph agreed.

Katara raised an eyebrow, "Might I ask why?"

"Yes, you may."

"Why?"

"Oh, no reason, just I think I'm onto something with a certain friend of mine. Do you mind sharing with me why you seemed so flirty with Firefly at breakfast? And don't bother acting like you don't know what I'm talking about," Toph warned.

The waterbender was silent for a moment and Toph could tell that she was blushing.

"I…I was just in a flirty mood when I woke up. That's all. You got a problem with that?"

Toph cocked an eyebrow at her friend.

"You might want to stick to the _full_ truth. I know that what you just told me is true, but there's more to it than that."

"I don't have to tell you any more than that!" Katara snapped with a hint of laughter and unsettledness.

"I won't stop bugging you until you tell me," she threatened.

"Bug me all you want. I'm not saying anything," she told her friend.

"I'll tell everyone you were flirting with Zuko then."

Toph inhaled and got ready to scream the words _Katara's been flirting with Zuko_ at the top of her lungs, but Katara quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"Are you insane?!" she squeaked.

"Maybe, now tell me what I want to hear or I'll tell everyone else what you don't want them to."

"Toph!"

"Yes Katara?"

The water girl was silent. She knew her friend wasn't lying when she said she'd tell everyone, and the last thing Katara wanted was for everyone to know that she had been flirting with the Fire Prince.

She sighed in exasperation and took in another deep breath as she began. "Ok, last night when I woke up, I had figured out that Zuko had taken care of me most and he was still up so I decided to thank him. But saying thank you just didn't seem like enough and well…" She dropped her voice so that if Toph hadn't learnt to hear better to make up for her blindness, then she wouldn't have heard her. "I almost kissed him."

"I KNEW IT!" Toph exclaimed out loud, causing everyone to jump and stare at her and Momo to chatter loudly.

Katara hit herself in the forehead and Toph quickly covered her own mouth.

"Sorry, don't mind me. Everyone back to whatever it was you were doing!" she squeaked from behind her hand. She knew there were a number of raised eyebrows at her, but she knew that Zuko's wasn't among them. She could feel him glaring at her.

_He must have known I was talking to Katara about it._

Everyone went back to what they were doing, which was just packing up their sleeping bags and other little bits and bobs.

Zuko came and sat in the saddle with the girls.

"What are you screaming out for?" he asked the girl in an I-Told-You-Not-To-Say-Anything tone.

"I was just talking to her. She admitted it to me!" she pointed at Katara.

"Doesn't mean you have to almost go and tell everyone about it!" he said in a frustrated whisper.

"Calm down, Zuko, I didn't actually tell anyone."

:Hold on, Zuko, you told Toph?" Katara interjected.

"She knew something happened," he narrowed his eyes at the blind girl. "That Toph, with her creepy earthbending powers," he said in a creped out voice. "She's evil, I tells ya!"

All three of them laughed.

"Oh my Gods! You two almost kissed!" Toph still couldn't believe her ears, even though she knew that what she was hearing was true.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist much longer Katara. And what did I tell you? I told you she doesn't hate you."

"Sh!" Katara shushed as the boys finally climbed aboard the bison.

"Let's ride!" Sokka exclaimed from atop Appa's head, alongside Aang.

With a short "Yip-yip!" they were off.

* * *

Azula traveled with her friends in silence. They had decided to go slowly so they didn't tier out the lizards.

"Are we even past where we saw them land?" Mai asked lamely.

"Not yet," the Princess replied.

"Are we _almost_ past where they landed?" Ty Lee asked hopefully.

"Almost," she confirmed.

They traveled on for another minute in silence. They came into a small clearing and as Princess Azula looked up, she saw, with a gut wrenching feeling, that the Avatar's bison was in sight, just a few minute walk away, just taking off.

She looked to either side of her. Neither of the girls had seen the bison yet.

"I wonder what time it is," Mai pondered out loud.

She inclined her head to see how bright the sky was. Thinking fast, the Fire Princess yelled out and pointed to something across the other side of Mai and her lizard.

"Did you see that?!" she asked, trying to sound slightly shocked.

Both of her friends stopped and looked curiously to where the Princess was pointing and away from the sky. Azula silently urged the bison to go faster and get out of sight.

"Azula," Ty Lee asked slowly, "what exactly are you pointing at?"

"Are you feeling ok? You haven't been acting yourself lately," Mai said, looking concerned.

The bison disappeared from view and Azula almost sighed out loud.

_They're safe. But if I want to keep them safe for much longer then I'll have to stall some more._

The young prodigy felt like she was going to pass out any moment from stress.

_No, Azula, stay awake, you need to protect the Avatar without letting these two notice._

"Azula?" her friends' voices sounded distant.

_Stay awake! Think, how can I stall some more?_

_Don't pass out, don't pass out._

"Azula? Hey, are you ok?"

"You look pale. Do you wanna stop for a moment?"

_Don't pass out, don't pass out. _

_Think, how can I keep these two occupied with something else?_

"Hey, Azula, can you hear us?"

_They sure care about me a lot, _another part of her brain chimed in.

_Yes, but I need to stall for time._

_Then do something that will make them really worried about you._

_Don't pass out, don't pass out._

Someone waved a hand in front of her face. She opened her mouth to try and say something but nothing came out.

_Don't pass out, don't pass out._

_Wait! That's it!_

_What's it?_

_Pass out._

_Aren't I telling myself __**not**__ to pass out? I need to stall for time so that the Avatar and his friends can escape._

_Pass out! If you pass out then Mai and Ty Lee will stop the chase to take care of you._

_Of course!_

"Azula?! C'mon, you're really starting to worry us."

"Say something, please."

The Princess opened her mouth.

"I…" Blackness was closing in on her vision. Her eyes rolled backwards in her head as she fell off her lizard, sideways and hit the ground. She could hear her friends' worried voices and feel them trying to move her into a more comfortable position.

_Well done, Azula, give yourself a pat on the back._

_I almost didn't think of anything._

_They almost saw Appa._

_The Avatar almost got caught._

_Almost, but not quite._

**

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**Kekeke, Azula has a quick mind. But evil me, I make her feel sick. Alrighty, you've read the chapter, you know the drill from here. REVIEW! Yes, please go and do that. Thank you very muchly.**

**JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	9. Mountains

**Ok guys, here's chapter 9. Please read and review. I hope you enjoy it.**

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* * *

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**9. Mountains**

"Hey, Katara, when did you say I'd be able to walk again?" Toph asked as she tried to keep warm.

"Um… oh, probably tomorrow or later on tonight. It would have been now if I had been able to work on them yesterday, but Ty Lee and Aang made sure I couldn't," the water girl answered.

"Woo-hoo!" The blind earthbender threw her arms up in the air.

"Hey, Firefly! Look out, my revenge starts tomorrow!" Toph warned the Fire Prince.

"That's great, Toph. Er… you being able to walk again, that is, not so much the revenge bit, but still," Zuko smiled. "But don't forget, the night I burned you, you sent an earth pillar at my ribs, so technically your revenge has already started."

"Well, I only did that because I was scared and I wanted to get you away from me, so that doesn't count."

The Princes face dropped.

"Ok, Katara, work your magic!" Toph slid her feet out from under her so that Katara could access them.

The waterbender unscrewed her water skin and extracted some of the liquid and made it glow. She sat near Toph's feet and applied the healing agent to the girl's feet.

"Oh-oh-oh-oh, cold-cold-cold-cold!" she chattered.

Both of the older benders laughed and Toph tried to snuggle closer to Zuko for warmth.

"You know, doing that isn't going to help your feet stay warm," he said as he patted her back.

"I don't care, it's freezing up here!" she hissed.

Katara stayed quiet as she concentrated on the girl's burnt feet. They were healing quickly and the burns were only pink now, nothing like the crimson red they had been the first day.

"Ok, I'll do it again in two hours," she said.

"Ok, thanks Sugar Queen," Toph smiled.

"Hey Toph! Come over here," The Duke called from the group of earthbender boys sitting over in the far corner of Appa's saddle.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds to do your stuff," she whispered slyly.

Both of the older benders blushed.

Toph scooted over to where the boys were and immediately became deeply engrossed in the conversation they were having.

Zuko and Katara sat in awkward silence for a moment.

"So… you feeling better?" he asked.

She nodded. "Thanks for taking care of me," she said.

"No worries," he shrugged.

There was silence for another moment.

"So, who do you think sent that map to us?" she asked after a minute.

"I dunno. The handwriting looks familiar though. I could swear I've seen it somewhere before," he informed her.

"Hmm. You don't think it could be your uncle, do you?" she asked.

The Prince seemed to stiffen for a moment as he considered her suggestion. But soon, he slumped again and said in a slightly disappointed voice, "No, if it were my uncle's handwriting then I would have recognized it straight away. It's not his handwriting, but I do think it's someone I know."

"Well, who else is there in the Fire Nation who's actually friendly?"

The Prince pondered for a moment. "Well, there was that girl prison guard who tried to make my uncle's stay in there as enjoyable as possible. She was definitely friendly. But no, I never saw her handwriting."

"Well, think; was there anyone who was especially nice to you while you were there?" Katara urged.

"Everyone was nice to me while I was back there. I was their Prince."

"Well, was there anyone who stood out to you?" she pressed.

Zuko scratched his chin thoughtfully. Suddenly he snapped his fingers and sat upright in realization. "Mai!" he exclaimed.

"What? You mean Miss Creepy who hangs out with Azula?" Katara asked in confusion.

"Yup!"

"But what would make you think that _she_ would have left the map?"

"Well, she was my girlfriend the whole time I was back there," he explained. "Not that she is anymore, because she's not," he added quickly, catching Katara's look. "She's liked me since we were kids. Who knows? Maybe she still likes me even though I've betrayed my father."

"Was that her handwriting?" Katara asked.

The Princes expression dropped. "No," he sighed. "Her handwriting is nothing like that. Not the slightest similarity whatsoever."

"Damn," Katara cursed, although inside she was glad that Zuko's ex-girlfriend wasn't behind the map.

_Overprotective much?_

_What?! No way, I'm not being overprotective!_

_Yes you are._

_Ok, maybe I am, just a little._

_Uh-huh, talk about understatement of the millennium. _

_Ok, ok, I'm being way overprotective. But so what?!_

_You don't want anyone else with Zuko._

Katara mentally slapped herself for her childish obsession with the Fire Prince. She was brought back to reality by his voice.

"You ok? You're shivering," he pointed out.

"I'm ok, just a little cold," she assured him.

Prince Zuko looked around and then turned back to Katara. "Uh…" He blushed before scooting over closer to her and putting an arm around her.

Katara blushed deeply, but smiled nonetheless. "You better hope no one sees this," she warned him.

The Prince blushed deeper. "Feel better?" he asked.

Katara nodded. After a moment, she couldn't help herself any more. She scooted right up alongside the Prince and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt him tense for a moment before relaxing again and putting his arm more closely around her.

_So warm…_

_Aaahhh… that's better, now isn't it, Katara?_

_Yes, much better._

She snuggled into him a little more and sighed. She felt his head drift sideways and rest on top of hers. Silently, she prayed that none of her companions turned around and saw them.

* * *

Princess Azula rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and tried to focus, but her vision remained blurry.

"Azula?!" she heard Ty Lee's concerned voice somewhere nearby. There was a bit of movement to her left before a pink blur came into view. She squeezed her eyes shut again and opened them again. That was better – she could see the acrobat's expression was one of great concern.

"Is she awake?" Mai's voice came from her right as a dark red and black figure came into her peripheral vision.

"Mai?" she murmured trying to sit up. She felt two pairs of hands push her back down and found herself unable to resist them.

"You need to rest. We don't know what's wrong with you, but you're really unwell. You just fainted."

Azula knew that when Ty Lee said "_just," _she meant a few hours ago. She could see that it was much lighter than it had been last time she had been conscious.

"Try and go back to sleep. I know you wanna capture the Avatar and your brother, but you're not going to be able to do that if you're dropping unconscious," Mai told her, putting a hand on her forehead.

"Ok," she whispered.

Azula shut her eyes again.

_Why do I feel so sick? _

She tried to come up with an explanation for her illness.

As she dozed off again her last thoughts were, _maybe I should tell them I'm pregnant…_

* * *

"Ok, we should be in view of the capital by noon. But we can't go flying right over it or we'll be spotted," Sokka said.

"Ok, so what's the plan then? We fly around?" Aang asked, indicating towards where they knew the ocean would be.

"Yes, but not over the ocean. There's too much of a chance we'll be spotted there too. We need to go around the back of the city. There's a mountain range close by the city a little further inland. We could use that for cover and cross over to the other side of the city safely." He indicated to where the highlands were located on the map they had been using the whole time they had been in the Fire Nation. "It's completely uninhabited so we won't have to worry so much about being spotted."

"That's great! But then what?" Aang asked.

"Well, once we reach our destination, we'll try and figure out how to get my father and the other people who were captured in the invasion out of their prison. Who knows? Maybe the Kyoshi Warriors are in there too."

"How are we going to get them out?" Aang asked.

"I don't know yet. We'll have to brainstorm some ideas once we stop. But the map we found last night and Zuko's knowledge of his home will be a great help," Sokka explained.

The boys went back to flying in silence. Aang made sure to keep a look out for any sign that they might have been spotted and Sokka poured over the map trying to figure out the best route through the mountains.

* * *

Zuko could feel his heart beating double time as he sat with the waterbender. He was surprised that she couldn't hear the wild _thud-thud _sound issuing from his chest. The Prince had the strangest feeling that Toph could hear it though. He had spotted her half turning her head as discreetly as she could towards them.

_Calm Zuko, calm, _he told himself. _Jeez, I never felt like this with Mai. Why does this feel so different?_

_Maybe because you really do love Katara, _he answered himself.

_What? I really did love Mai when I was with her, I'm not saying I don't really love Katara now or anything, but when I was with Mai I really did love her. Didn't I?_

The Prince actually had to think for a moment about this one. Had he really loved Mai when they had been together? Or had it just been a senseless infatuation?

_You might have thought you loved her at the time, but does that mean you really did love her?_

_No, I guess it doesn't. But then what were my feelings for her?_

_You thought you loved her, but why were you really with her? C'mon Zuko, you know the answer._

The Prince thought about what he might have once felt for Mai, for the true reason he was ever with her. His confused expression must have shown on his face, because Katara's voice suddenly brought him out of his thoughts.

"Are you ok? You look a little troubled." She sounded concerned.

"I- I'm fine," he assured her.

She nodded in acceptance to his answered.

Toph's voice called out from where she and the boys were talking.

"Hey, Katara! Has it been two hours yet?"

"Yea, come over here and I'll fix you up," she called back.

Katara seemed to hesitate before she left Zuko's side. When she moved away, the Prince suddenly felt very alone and cold.

_Calm down, she'll be back, she's just healing Toph's feet._

Prince Zuko returned to his thoughts from before Katara had spoken.

_Why had I been with Mai? Why was I attracted to her?_

_Simple – you felt alone without your uncle being there nagging and giving advice and then Mai was there instead. You went to her looking for some form of affection that you desperately needed because you had missed out on it for so long. It was just a little different from what you really wanted. But since no one else was there, you just stuck with it, oblivious to how you really felt about it._

Zuko was surprised at how well he had just explained that to himself. He was also surprised that he had just admitted to himself that he hadn't really been in love; he'd only thought he was.

_Then what do I feel for Katara? Is it the same thing or is it really love this time?_

_I'd say it's really love. That's why it feels different._

Zuko almost sighed out loud, but he managed to stop it and only sigh inwardly.

_You're in love, buddy!_

* * *

"So, you having fun?" Toph asked slyly.

"What?! Oh, with Zuko, right. Yea, I guess so," Katara replied as she bent some water into a healing glove and applied it to the earthbender's feet.

"What've you two been up to?" she continued.

"Nothing really. We've just been sitting there, talking about random things every now and then. Otherwise we're just sitting there."

"Is it nice and cozy in his arms?" she giggled.

"Yes," Katara shot back. "Much warmer than just sitting in a circle with a bunch of rowdy boys who like to talk."

"Hey, I'm not complaining, so shut it, Sugar Queen!" she snapped.

After a moment of silence with solid angry expressions on their faces, the girls started to laugh.

"Ok, there you go. I'd say you'll be able to walk by the time we get to our next stop."

"Right, when's our next stop?"

Katara thought for a moment. "I'll be right back, I'm just gonna go and ask Sokka."

The waterbender got up and moved towards her brother. She slid along Appa's neck, carefully making sure not to look down and then came to rest on his head, behind the young warrior.

"Hey Sokka," she tapped him on the shoulder.

He jumped violently. "Don't sneak up on me like that! Do you want me to fall off or something?!"

"Sorry, it's not my fault if the wind blocks out any warnings of approaching persons!" she bit back.

"Hey Katara!" Aang said cheerfully from next to Sokka.

"Hey," she greeted him fleetingly before turning back to her brother. "When are we going to be making our next stop and more to the point, _where_ are we stopping?"

"Our next stop should be a bit after noon. We'll stop somewhere in the mountain range just north of the city. We can't just fly over the city or we'll be spotted, so we're making a detour through the Halo Peaks." Her brother indicated to the mountain range on the map. "We'll stop somewhere around here." He circled an area close to the edge of the mountains.

"Ok, so just after noon?"

"Maybe an hour or two, but yea, that's the general idea."

Katara nodded and turned to pass the information back to the blind earthbender. She slid back into the saddle and scooted over to where Toph was still sitting.

"We're stopping in some mountains an hour or two after noon," she declared.

"Ok, how long until noon?" she asked.

Katara looked up at the sky. "A couple more hours, but don't worry, it'll be soon enough."

The earthbender nodded and scooted back over to where Haru, Teo and The Duke were still gathered. Katara sat down alongside the Fire Prince again and let him put an arm around her again. Suddenly she sat up again.

"I just realized something! You're not feeling so sick today!"

The Prince thought for a moment and then laughed.

"You do look just a little paler than usual, but hey, you're not shaking or throwing up," she commented.

He shrugged, "I guess I've got a bit more on my mind than yesterday. Anyway, I wasn't feeling too sick after you got knocked out. I made myself ignore the sickness so I could take care of you. I must have gotten over it… kinda," he said.

"Well, I said you would, didn't I?" she asked.

Zuko pulled her in a little closer. "Yea, you did."

* * *

Azula wore a white dress with red and gold trimmings and a black veil. The dress dragged on the floor. She could feel the stares of a thousand people on her back as she stood next to one of the men she hated most in the world.

He held out a necklace and she felt her father's hands come around either side of her to take the necklace and he tied it around her neck.

She tried to smile but she just couldn't. She hated what was happening. She wanted to scream and run away, but she couldn't.

There was more than just marrying Shang that was wrong. She couldn't breathe; the betrothal necklace was too tight around her neck and it was choking her. She began to cough and she tried to remove the necklace, but she couldn't budge it. It seemed to grow tighter by the second. She couldn't breathe…

Flames surrounded her and the faces of Shang and her father faded away. Instead, the face of her brother appeared and she was being held up against the wall in her bedroom. The necklace became his hand and she continued to suffocate.

"YOU KILLED ME!"

She tried to talk back to him, but she couldn't.

_Zuko, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kill you. Please forgive me!_

Tears ran down her face as she looked into his burning golden eyes. Her own screams pierced her ears as the burning flames engulfed her. And suddenly she was lying down, her stomach was churning and she was screaming. She still couldn't breathe.

There was a searing pain in her abdomen and then her cries were joined by that of another. But it wasn't a cry of pain that accompanied hers; it was the cry of a new born baby. She tried to see the child, but there was blood – too much blood.

She still couldn't breathe; the only thing she could feel was pain. Darkness crept into her vision and drowned out everything and Azula was floating in nothingness.

Distantly she could hear two voices calling her name.

"Azula?!"

"Azula?!"

She could feel someone shaking her.

The voices became louder.

"Wake up!"

"Azula, what's wrong?"

"It's ok, you're just dreaming, wake up now!"

And louder.

"Azula, please wake up!"

The Princess opened her eyes and sat bolt upright, gasping and panting. She looked to either side of her and saw Mai and Ty Lee kneeling down beside her. Slowly, she steadied her breathing by taking deep breaths.

"What happened?" she managed.

"You were having a nightmare again. You were screaming and crying out in your sleep and tossing and turning. We got really worried," Ty Lee said.

"We're still really worried. This isn't like you at all, Azula. You haven't been acting like yourself since Zuko left. Do you miss him?" Mai asked.

Azula didn't answer. She wiped some cold sweat from her forehead and looked at her friend.

"It's ok if you _do_ miss him, Azula. He _is_ your brother after all. It's natural for you to feel affectionate towards him and not want to hurt him," Ty Lee told her.

"And don't worry, we won't tell anyone," Mai said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Azula did her best to smile at her friends and managed to for a second.

Suddenly she had a gut wrenching feeling and she groaned. She turned away from the girls and threw up into the bushes behind her. Their hands rubbed her back and held her hair out of the way.

"There, there. Let it all out," Ty Lee whispered.

"If she's not better by tomorrow, then we're going home. There's no point being out here if she's sick and unable to do her job. Anyway, we've completely lost the Avatar's trail. If we head back home, we'll be able to get an idea of where he is by the resources back there."

Princess Azula shut her eyes again and she felt her friends lower her back down into a more comfortable position as she fell asleep again.

"Thanks guys," she mumbled.

* * *

"So, how are you today?" Zuko asked, randomly.

"I'm good, I guess," Katara answered.

"You cold?"

"I'm sitting in your arms, it's kinda hard to be cold. But if I scooted way a bit, I'd be freezing!" she said as she snuggled up to him a little closer. She felt him tense and relax and saw him blush slightly.

"What's the matter? You don't like me being this close?"

"No, of course not! I'm just a little worried someone's gonna see."

"You mean someone other than Toph," the water girl corrected him.

He nodded.

"I'd hate it if my brother turned around and saw us," Katara said.

"Ha, what do you think he'd do if he saw us like this?"

"He'd have a fit over it! He'd go off his tree at me and then he'd murder you. Or he'd try to, anyway. I wouldn't let him," Katara assured him.

Zuko laughed nervously.

"So, have you figured out who sent us the map? Have you figured out whose handwriting it is?"

"No, not yet. I'm still trying to work it out," he admitted.

There was a moment of silence between the two benders before the Prince spoke again.

"What if Aang turned around? What would he do?"

"Well, he'd either tell Sokka so that Sokka would beat you up … he might also help. Or he might just go into the Avatar State and blow us out of the air," Katara said.

Prince Zuko swallowed nervously.

"Don't worry, I'm sure even if they do notice us, we'll be fine," she assured him.

He smiled at her. "I know."

* * *

"Ok, I think we should just go home. If she's gonna get better any time soon, she would have started, but she only seems to be getting worse by the second," Ty Lee whispered to Mai as Azula slept.

"Ok, but how are we going to get home while she's unconscious all the time she's not asleep or just woken up from one of her nightmares?"

"I dunno. But we'll work something out. We could somehow strap her to her lizard and then just ride home like that, but we would have to strap her so that she doesn't fall off if she just suddenly passes out," Ty Lee suggested.

"I guess. But how's that going to look when we get back to the capital? The Princess coming home half dead on a lizard's back."

"Well, if we make good timing and navigating, we could enter the city at dark so there's barely anyone around and then take all the back streets to the palace so we're even less likely to be noticed."

"That's actually pretty good. I think we'll go with that. But what are we going to do when she gets better? I mean, you know Azula, she'll crack it at us for not going after the Avatar."

"Yea, well, let her crack. She'll thank us for it in the end."

Mai nodded.

"Anyway, it's better than letting her die out here," Ty Lee continued. "And I seriously think she's feeling sick because she doesn't want to hurt Zuko and she's become really sisterly towards him…I think that's a good thing, although it won't help with the war, seeing as he's on the opposing side."

"Ok, we'll leave tomorrow morning," Mai confirmed.

Ty Lee nodded in agreement. They began to pack away the things they would not need.

* * *

"Hey, everyone! We should be landing in about fifteen minutes, so get all of the stuff you're gonna need for lunch together!" Sokka called from Appa's head.

Toph scooted over to where Katara was sitting with Zuko.

"Hey, Katara, am I going to be able to walk?"

"Quick, flip over and I'll do one last healing session before we land!" She said, unscrewing the lid of her water skin.

The earthbender obeyed and Katara made a healing glove and ran the water over the blind girl's feet.

"Cooooooolllllllllllllllddddddddd!" she moaned.

"Oh, shush! Stop complaining unless you want me to stop healing," Katara joked.

Toph laughed. The waterbender drew her hands away and bent the water back into the water skin.

"Wow, they're all better. Katara, you're a miracle worker!" Zuko commented as he examined the reversal of his work on the blind girl's feet.

"Can I walk?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes, you may," Katara confirmed.

"WOO-HOO!" Toph jumped up and punched the air and landed neatly on her feet before loosing her balance. "I still can't see while I'm on Appa."

The two older benders laughed and she gave Zuko a dead arm, making her laugh and Katara laugh harder.

Toph jumped off the bison when they were still five feet off the ground.

"Be careful!" Katara yelled at her.

"Oh, don't be such a fuss pot, Sugar Queen!" she called back as Appa touched down.

Aang hopped down from his head and Sokka, Zuko, Katara, The Duke, Teo and Haru followed. Momo chattered excitedly as he jumped into a bush of berries and plucked one off and plopped it in his mouth.

"Oh, yum!" Sokka reached out and took a handful of berries and stuffed them into his mouth. "Mmm!" he moaned. Suddenly, his smug expression changed to one of revolt and he screwed up his face and spat the berries out of his mouth.

"What's wrong with them?" Toph laughed.

"Bitter!" he gagged as he reached for his water skin.

Zuko stooped down next to the bush to examine it. He picked one of the berries, but didn't eat it. He looked at it closely and started laughing.

"It's a Blaze berry! These are really rare; they only grow in certain places in these mountains. You aren't supposed to eat them. If you stick them in your mouth, yes, they are meant to be really bitter. But whatever you do don't –"

Sokka screamed as he coughed with a mouth full of water and spat it out all over the Fire Prince. He stuck his tongue out and fanned it with his hand as if he had just burnt in.

"…drink water because it will burn your tongue with the juice," he finished as he took off his shirt and wrung the water out of it, evaporating what didn't come out on its own and all the water in his pants.

Katara failed to stifle her laughter and buckled over hysterically as she watched her brother and the Fire Prince fuss over things.

Once Zuko had finished drying off, he grabbed an apple from Sokka's bag and stuck it in the Water Warrior's mouth. Almost immediately, he stopped whining and sighed in relief. He took a bite out of the apple and swallowed it before talking to Zuko.

"Thanks. Oh, um… sorry about the water," he laughed nervously as he back away from the Prince.

Zuko shook his head as he turned to help Katara unload the things they would need for lunch.

"We need fresh ingredients," she commented as she looked through her bag of food supplies and threw away some rotten fruit.

"Well, we could eat some of those Blaze berries," Zuko informed her.

"But you just said that we couldn't. And it's not like any of us want to go a meal without drinking water." She sounded confused.

"Let me rephrase what I said; we can't eat them _raw_. They taste really nice cooked and they don't burn your tongue off. They're considered a delicacy in the Fire Nation… like seal jerky is in the Water Tribes. But it's a rare delicacy for us because they're so hard to find," he explained.

Katara was surprised. "Ok, well, is there any certain way I have to cook them?"

"No, but my mum had this really good recipe for them; we'd make them together whenever we could find and buy them. It's a really easy recipe, not many people suspect it would turn out so well."

"Can you remember this recipe? And did it really taste good, or are you just saying that cause it was your mum's recipe?"

"No, it was really good. And yes, I can remember it," Zuko assured her.

Katara smiled sweetly. "C'mon, you can help me make it."

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**Hehe, did you all like that? Sorry for making it so long, but I just couldn't figure out when to end it. Lol, well, I thought it was good. What did you all think? Tell me in your reviews (hint-hint!)**

**JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	10. Tears and a Resunion

**Hey there, just a little message to my anonymous reviewer mT: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and thanks for the compliment on the Blaze berries (and the Blaze berries + Sokka!). **

**Ok, everyone please, R&R this chapter. And enjoy it! It took me a while to figure out what was going to happen in here. Thanks guys! **

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**10. Tears and a Reunion**

Mai and Ty Lee took the Fire Princess to the doctors as soon as they got back.

"You seem to be under a lot of stress at the moment. Tell your father that I said you need to take it easy. You need to rest and stop stressing out about…whatever it is you're stressing out about," he told her.

The Princess nodded and left with her friends. When she returned to the palace, she headed for the throne room, but Ty Lee grabbed her arm.

"Go to bed, you look terrible."

"We'll go and tell your father what's going on. Just get some rest," Mai sighed.

Azula hesitated for a moment. "Ok, but be careful; he hasn't been in the most reasonable mood lately," she warned, before she turned and headed to her bedroom.

As she passed down the corridor, she thought of the first dream she had had. She had been walking down that same corridor when the hooded figure that was Zuko had appeared and followed her. She looked behind her as she walked, just to assure herself that no one was there. She held her breath as she continued to walk and glanced back over her shoulder every few seconds.

She looked behind her as she rounded a corner and suddenly, she could hear footsteps.

Azula gasped in fright and turned to face forward as she rounded the corner properly… and ran full on into the Fire Lord.

"Dad!" she yelled, smiling, although she was only happy to see him because she was freaked out because of the footsteps.

"Azula! What are you doing here? Did you capture your brother and the Avatar?" he asked sternly.

Suddenly he caught sight of her appearance. She looked absolutely exhausted and in desperate need of rest.

"I'll take that as a no…" he said, somewhat disappointed.

This wasn't quite the reaction the Princess had expected. She had thought he would go off his tree at her.

_What's he so happy about?_

_Maybe ask him and you'll find out._

_Ok, but what should I say?_

_The right thing that isn't going to set him off._

She sighed inwardly in annoyance before speaking to her father, being very careful with her choice of words.

"So, have you been having a good last few days?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful through her tiredness.

"Oh, it's been alright," he smirked, but his eyes were still smiling.

"What's been happening?"

He smirked even more and Azula could see a hint of malicious pleasure in his smiling eyes.

Her heart faltered; she'd seen that look in his eyes so many times before. It was the look he had when something was going to go the way he wants it to, but it was going to affect someone or something else in a bad way, or in a way they wouldn't like. He always gave it to the person it would displease. She'd seen him give it to Zuko countless times and she had received it several times herself, especially since her brother had been banished.

"I've been talking with Admiral Shang about the wedding."

Azula's heart plunged into her stomach but quickly came back up to her throat.

_This isn't going to be good._

"We've decided we will be having the wedding in four days!" he smiled and clapped his hands.

The Fire Princess could feel tears stinging at the back of her eyes. She had to resist the urge to sob.

She smiled forcefully and spoke. "That's… great, Dad. I guess." She sounded choked and Ozai did not fail to detect her displeasure.

"Now, my dear, the Admiral will make quite a nice husband. I know you don't like him now, but you'll get use to the idea and grow to love him in due time. You bare his child after all; you don't want to have to raise it on you own, do you?"

Azula bit her bottom lip for a moment.

"No, Father," she whispered. "I need to go to my room now; the doctor says I need to rest," she informed him.

He nodded and let her pass and she walked away. As she turned into another corridor she broke into a run and sprinted to her room. Once she was inside, she shut and locked her door.

She kicked the chair at her desk and it tipped over. She ran over to her bedside table and picked up a picture that was in its frame. She threw it at her door and threw herself onto her bed. Her face buried in the cushions, she broke into hysterical sobs.

_Why does he do this to me?_

_Why is he so horrible?_

_Why does he have to be my father?_

_Why does he have to make me marry Shang?_ _I mean, SHANG?! He knows I've always hated the man!_

_Why does he feel the need to torture me like this?_

Inside, Azula could feel her heart breaking. No, the pain wasn't because her heart was breaking – it hurt because her father had been tugging at it and pulling at it all her life and he had finally managed to rip it out.

"Oh, why do you hate me so?" she thought out loud, through her sobs.

She looked at the remaining picture on her bedside table. Her mother smiled out of a frame at her and her eyes were full of love and acceptance.

_If only you were here. You wouldn't let this happen to me. You wouldn't do this to me. You would understand and accept me the way that __**he **__never did. _

She stroked the edge of the picture as she took it out of the frame. She looked to where the other picture and frame had shattered. There was glass all over the floor and the picture was still half in its broken frame.

She got up, still crying, and walked over to where it lay. Careful not to cut herself on any of the shards of broken glass, she slipped the picture out of its frame and walked back to sit on her bed.

She looked at the picture.

There she was, smiling out of the photo, sitting on her mothers lap, next to her father and Zuko. Ozai had his arm around his wife and a hand on his son's shoulder. The hand attached to the one around Ursa rested on Azula's shoulder. Ursa's head rested on his shoulder and she had one arm around her and one arm around Zuko, who was sitting on his father's lap. Zuko was holding his little sister's hand and they had their cheeks pressed together as they smiled at the camera. They all looked happy. They looked like a normal, wonderful family.

This, she knew, was once real.

"But not anymore," she said sadly, as a tear dripped onto the picture. She wiped it away and kept looking at the picture as she thought.

_I can't destroy this. It's the only thing left of what use to be a happy family. I can't let myself forget what life use to be like. I will never forget, but I can't get rid of this picture that __**shows**__ me how it use to be._

She looked at the picture for a few seconds longer before slipping it under her pillow and lying down.

Azula shut her eyes and fell asleep. Her dreams were filled with her memories of the days she was happy and her family was whole.

* * *

"Jeez Zuko, I didn't know guys could cook _this _good," Toph commented as she spooned some of the soft, warm, juicy berries into her mouth.

"If _you_ think it's good then it must be," Sokka said as he dished out a bowl for himself. "What did you put in it? It looks and smells great. I didn't think Katara had any fresh ingredients in her bag."

"They weren't in her bag, Sokka. I collected them off the bushes," Zuko indicated to the Blaze berry bush that Sokka had eaten from earlier.

Sokka let out a yell of shock and threw the bowl to the ground and everyone else except for Zuko and Katara stopped eating and looked confusedly at the firebender. Katara started laughing as she realized that neither she nor Zuko had explained to the others about the berries. She calmed herself down and cleared her throat to draw everyone's attention to her.

"Zuko, maybe you should tell them what you told me about the berries."

The Fire Prince looked confused for a moment, but he soon understood what the waterbender meant and nodded.

Turning back to the rest of the group, he explained. "Let me rephrase what I said about the berries before. You can't eat them raw because they're too bitter and if you drink water after them you burn your tongue, but if you cook them, they aren't so bitter and you can drink all you want without setting your mouth on fire."

Everyone went "Aaahhh," after he said that as they understood what he was on about.

After lunch, Zuko helped Katara clean up.

"You're really helpful," she commented as she collected the last of the dishes and brought them over to where they were going to wash them.

She looked around to see where everyone else was. All of their companions were out of earshot and were doing their own thing. She turned back to Zuko.

"So, how are you?" she asked casually.

Zuko felt himself blush slightly. _Is she flirting with me?_ "I'm fine. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good. Did you enjoy lunch?" she smiled.

_I think she's flirting with me._ "Yes, it was nice. I haven't had that since before my mum went away."

"Cool. Thanks for helping me cook. You should give my brother a lesson some time," she looked at him with those hypnotic blue eyes and Zuko felt his heart _melt_…

_She's flirting with me!_ "No, worries," he assured her, but the words got caught in his throat as he said them, for he was caught on a wave of enchanting blue.

He saw her blush a little as they looked at each other.

"Maybe we can make that together again some time," she suggested.

Zuko was sure he was about to melt completely as he remained caught in her stare and enchanted by her eyes. Like windows to her soul, they seemed to tell him secrets that he couldn't hear, but at the same time, he knew exactly what they were saying.

_She is definitely flirting with me._

He read her eyes like a scroll and as he looked through the jumble of emotions and secrets and words that she wanted to say, he came across something that said _kiss me._

He knew he needed to obey and his whole body relaxed as they inched closer to each other. Their faces came closer and closer and he could practically _taste_ her warm, sweet breath on his lips. Their lips were merely a millimeter apart and Zuko shut his eyes.

He got ready to melt completely the moment her lips touched his, but suddenly…

"MR. IROH! YOU'RE BACK!" They jumped apart and looked over towards the others just in time to see Toph running into the bushes.

"Hello, my young friend! Well, hasn't it been a long time?" came a voice Zuko altogether loved and needed as his uncle stepped into the clearing after the blind earthbender as she reappeared.

"UNCLE!" he shouted and ran over to the man quicker than he ever thought possible. He basically jumped on top of him as he flung his arms around him.

"ZUKO! MY NEPHEW!" the old general boomed in the Prince's ear, but Zuko didn't care – it didn't hurt him, it made him feel better. A dark cloud that had been hanging over the Fire Princes heart had suddenly disappeared.

"Uncle, I missed you so much," he sobbed as tears trickled into the old man's beard.

"I missed you too, Zuko," he choked back as he embraced him in a rib breaking platypus-bear hug.

Zuko sobbed and laughed at the same time. "Uncle…I…can't…breathe… you're…crushing…me…"

The old man let go of his nephew and Zuko fell onto his knees, panting and still laughing and crying with joy.

Once he'd caught his breath, he became aware of everyone else shouting "hello," and "how are you?" and "we were so worried about you," to his uncle.

The boy looked back up at the man who had been so much like a father to him since his mother had left. He was the same smiling face and booming, wise voice he'd always loved. But there was something quite different about his Uncle Iroh.

"Uncle! What did you do to yourself?!" he gasped as he saw Iroh's muscles in stead of fat.

"How do you think I got out of my cell?" the old man laughed as he lifted Zuko up and slung him over his shoulder.

Zuko started laughing as if he was a six year old as his uncle spun around and stood him back up again. He stumbled and tripped over in dizziness and the retired general laughed at him. Most of Zuko's friends laughed too as he tried to steady himself while he was still laughing as well.

They continued like that for the next five minutes, until they had laughed so much that their ribs hurt.

Katara helped the Prince up and pushed him closer to his uncle.

"Where have you been?" he asked incredulously. "I came to get you out of your cell on the day of the eclipse and you weren't there! I was so worried!"

The man put a hand on his nephew's shoulder and smiled.

"I knew you would make the right choice in the end, I just was not sure how long it was going to take so I got myself out so that I could start helping these guys and tell them that you would come and join us eventually. But obviously you beat me to it!" he said. "I knew you would do the right thing. I am proud of you, Prince Zuko."

Tears of joy leaked down his face as his uncle said it and a sob rose form his chest as he hugged the old man again. Uncle Iroh hugged back gently as his nephew hugged him, leaking silent tears onto his shoulder.

The rest of the group decided it was best to leave the two men to their reunion and carry on with setting up camp.

"I knew I'd find you again, Uncle," Zuko whispered.

"Of course you would have found me again; I swore to your mother that if anything should ever happen to her that I'd take care of you," he said.

Zuko smiled as he sobbed onto the man's shoulder, but suddenly he remembered what his father had told him on the day of the eclipse.

"Uncle," he became stern. "On the Day of Black Sun, I went up to Dad and told him straight to his face that I was going to join Aang and help him defeat him. But then he told me something. Something about Mum, and I want to know if it was true."

Iroh looked confused as his nephew spoke to him.

"What did your father tell you?" Iroh asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Zuko hesitated for a moment. "He… he told me that she might not be dead. He said that he had only banished her. Is that true, Uncle?"

General Iroh was silent for a moment. He caught sight of the Prince's pleading look and had to answer.

"Zuko, please try to understand; your mother was a very special and wonderful woman," he began.

Zuko listened intently. Inside, he was begging his uncle to tell him that she was alive and well and that she had recently had contact with him and was going to join up with them soon. But Zuko knew he was a fool to dream such a thing would happen, even before what his uncle said next.

"Zuko, it is true that your Father banished your Mother." Zuko's heart would have skipped a beat had he not seen the look in his Uncle's eyes. "But without you, she was depressed. When you were banished and she found out, she came looking for you, but she couldn't find you. In the end, your mother broke. She couldn't handle it anymore and her heart broke and she passed away." The General choked on his words as he saw the look in Zuko's eyes.

"So she's gone, even though Dad didn't kill her, she's gone?" He sounded desperate for his uncle to tell him he was crazy and of course she was alright, but he didn't. Iroh wouldn't lie to his nephew – he wouldn't give him false hope.

"She is gone," he breathed.

Tears of hurt and pain beyond belief slid down the Fire Prince's cheeks as he felt his heart fall to pieces as he started sobbing again. He fell to his knees on the ground again and Iroh knelt down with him and hugged him again as he too released his long-held-back tears.

"I'm sorry, Zuko," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't find her in time."

"What do you mean?" the Prince sobbed.

"She only died a few months ago, half a week after we left Ba Sing Se. I didn't find out the truth until I found an old friend of mine who I haven't seen in many years, Jeong Jeong, and he told me that she had lived with him and his friends for the last few weeks of her life," he explained.

Zuko was silent as he closed his eyes and let the last of his tears run down his face. They both sat in silence for a while. Katara came up to them after a solid ten minutes of not talking.

"Mr. Iroh, if you're hungry, we have just enough of this berry stuff left over from lunch if you're interested. Zuko and I made it." She showed him the cooked berries and his eyes widened in surprise.

He turned back to Zuko, "I see you have remembered your Mother's recipe."

Zuko nodded sadly and another tear slid down his cheek.

"Zuko, are you ok?" asked the water girl, worriedly.

"I'm fine, Katara." But she wasn't convinced.

Iroh took the bowl of berries graciously and began to eat. Zuko wiped away his tears as the others came and sat down with them. They were all completely happy except for Katara, who was worried for Zuko after seeing his tears and Zuko and Iroh after their talk about Zuko's mother.

Zuko remained quiet for a moment longer, when he spoke, everyone listened.

"Uncle?"

"Yes, Zuko?" He put his bowl down, knowing that it was going to be a serious question.

"What killed her exactly?" he asked, and everyone other than his uncle was shocked and confused.

"Like I said; she died of a broken heart. She couldn't stand being separated any longer."

Zuko bit his bottom lip for a moment. "Was she in any physical pain?" he whispered and all of his companions listened.

"Well, she _did _have a broken heart," he replied sadly.

"This is all my fault," the Prince cursed himself as salt water welled in his eyes.

"No, it's not. You had no control of the situation, you couldn't have done anything."

"I could have listened to the one honest thing that Azula said and just let Dad kill me instead of making myself believe that he would never even think of it, instead of letting my Mother trade her life in for mine!" he yelled as he stood up suddenly.

Iroh stood up too and everyone else watched and listened in shock and concern.

"And then what?! I told you; she died of a broken heart because she was separated from you! If she had let your father kill you, she would have still died of a broken heart! She loved you more than anything, Zuko, that's why she made me promise to take care of you if anything should happen to her!"

Zuko sobbed and tears raced down his face. He turned and left the campsite at a run.

"What's going on?" Sokka and Aang asked in confusion, as Katara stood up and Iroh sat back down and buried his face in his hands and cried. Toph knelt beside him and put her arms around him to try and comfort him. Teo, The Duke and Haru looked at each other in concern and Katara walked in the direction Zuko had run off in.

"I'm going to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, and that he's alright," she said.

But Zuko had been sure not to leave a definite trail to where he had gone and it took the waterbender some time to find him.

"Zuko? What's the matter?" She knelt down in front of him and put one of her hands on his.

He was curled up in a ball, leaning against a tree and a rock, crying with his head on his knees and his arms hugging his legs.

"What was all of that about your mother? We're all worried now. What were you and your uncle talking about?" she asked as she sat down next to him and pulled him into a hug.

The water girl made as much sense of what the Prince and his uncle had said, and she came to the conclusion that Iroh had given Zuko the news of how his mother had died, and that he somehow blamed himself for it, although his uncle thought that it would have turned out the same, even if he had done that something different.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then at least let me stay here with you," she whispered and Zuko nodded as he rested his head on her shoulder. They sat like that for hours, until it was dark.

Back at the campsite, Iroh explained quietly to the boys and Toph about the conversation he and Zuko had just shared.

"The poor guy, but you will take care of him, won't you?" Toph asked.

"Of course I will. His mother made me promise I'd take care of him and I'd never break a promise to my sister-in-law, Ursa never broke a promise to me. Anyway, ever since I lost my son, Lu Ten, I think of Zuko as my own. He is so much like his cousin even though they are many years apart and Lu Ten died in the Siege of Ba Sing Se just days before Ursa left," the old man explained wearily as tears trickled down his face as he remembered.

"Jeez, I mean, I'd figure he had it rough, being burned and banished by his own father and having Azula for a sister and Mai and Ty Lee as her best friends, but knowing this much is making _me_ depressed!" Sokka sighed.

"I never knew his past was _that_ complicated," Aang choked.

"He doesn't like to talk about it. Do him a favour and when he comes back, don't say anything to him about it unless he says it to you first," Iroh requested.

Everyone nodded.

"We won't say anything," Haru said.

"We won't tell anyone," Teo and the Duke agreed.

* * *

Azula kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling when her father knocked on the bedroom door.

"Come in," she admitted him with her hands still under her head as she lay on her back.

"You'll have to unlock it for me," he told her blankly.

She sighed quietly and stood up and walked over to the door. She gently and quietly swept the shattered glass from the picture frame aside and unlocked the door. But she did not let him in; she stepped out, not wanting him to see that she had broken the picture frame.

"Come for a walk with me," she said, taking his hand and leading him away from her room.

They walked outside and into the gardens.

"So, what's new?" she asked as they passed the turtle-duck pond that she remembered Zuko pushing Mai in when they were little. She had to resist the urge to laugh, but couldn't help but smile.

"I was just coming to discuss the wedding plans with you," he started.

Her smile faded immediately.

"Oh, Dad. Do I really have to marry him?" she complained as she looked at him, tears in her eyes. But the eyes didn't work of the Fire Lord.

"Yes, Princess Azula. You do have to marry him. Now, we don't have very much time to prepare, so we are going to start now."

Azula felt her insides squirm with displeasure and hate as her father led her back inside.

Just then, a messenger came up to him and bowed.

"My Lord, sorry to interrupt, but you are needed in the War Chamber," he informed him.

"Thank you. Could you please let whoever needs me know that I am going to be another few minutes; I need to escort this lovely Princess to where the maids are waiting, so that they can make her wedding dress."

"Wedding dress? Well, congratulations, You Highness! Who's the lucky man?"

"Admiral Shang," the Fire Lord said before his daughter could answer.

"Ah, yes, he is a fine man."

"I'm glad you approve, I think you should move along now," the Fire Lord ordered more than suggested.

The messenger bowed low and hastily trotted away.

The father and bride-to-be walked down another corridor until they came to a dressing room. The Fire Lord led her in and instructed the maids to make a nice, fitting dress for the lady out of the materials that she chose.

He left the room and left the Princess with the maids to start with the preparations for her wedding.

Inside, Azula cried to the Spirits to save her from this unkind fate. She would cry when she got back to her room; this was just too much for her.

**

* * *

**

**Hmm... I'm making this rather complicated, aren't I? And I'm being very cruel to Azula. Hmm... I've already got the rest of the story planned out and I'm not taking any requests, sorry guys, I've got everything perfectly planned out from here. Ok, well, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**REVIEW! Tell me what you thought!**

**JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	11. Maps, Invaders and Plans

**Ok, sorry this one is so long. But before I begin, just a shout out to mT again: I'm glad you liked Sokka and the Blaze berry idea. I was seriously quiet impressed with myself for making it up. If you thought the blow Zuko got from finding out about his mother's death was depressing then I've gotten the reaction I wanted. I agree that Azula probably wouldn't handle the news much differently, other than the fact that she never had her hopes raised that she was still alive; Ozai didn't tell her, he only told Zuko. Lol, I'm very glad you liked the irony in this chapter. For those of you who are reading this message who don't know what I'm on about, Iroh has always been trying to get Zuko with the girls, and just when he's about to kiss Katara he walks in and interrupts. Lol, I agree that was funny.**

**Alright, you all know the drill. Read and Review! And of course, enjoy your meal... I mean chapter! **

* * *

**11. Maps, Invaders and Plans**

A light mist had settled in by the time Zuko and Katara retuned back to camp. They hadn't talked since Katara had started comforting him. For the past few hours, they had just been sitting there, Zuko in Katara's arms, both of them thinking and the Prince stubbornly trying to stop his weak sobbing.

Aang, Sokka, Toph and Iroh were still up, but the other boys had gone to bed already.

When the Fire Prince saw his older relative, he stopped and hesitated before coming into the campsite and sitting by the fire with him and the others who were still awake.

"Zuko," he started softly.

"Uncle, you don't have to –"

"I'm sorry I said what I did earlier, I just –"

"Uncle, you don't have to apologize about it, you didn't –"

"I shouldn't have said something like that when you were already feeling sentimental about the same topic –"

"Uncle, it doesn't matter now, what's done is done," Zuko said firmly.

The others listened in a mixture of concern and curiosity.

The two firebenders looked at each other and their golden eyes gave away every single one of their feelings and basically formed a conversation without words.

Katara could read in Zuko's eyes that he was begging his uncle not to say anything further on the subject. Iroh was telling Zuko that if he didn't share his feelings with other people and just kept everything bottled up inside, he would have an emotional breakdown.

_I'm here for you Zuko._

_I don't need you to be there. I can do things on my own._

_Zuko, when will you learn? You can't be independent all the time. Everyone needs someone to lean on at some point in their lives about some issue or situation. _

_Please, leave this topic alone for now. I just can't handle it right now._

_I'm not trying to make you talk about it, I'm just saying that sometimes you __**need**__ to bring it up, and if you ever need to talk to someone about it, if you ever need support, I'm here for you to fall back on._

_I know you are, Uncle._

_I love you as if you were my own son, Zuko._

_I know you do, and you're the one who's been a real father to me. I love you too._

Zuko looked at the ground. "I'm going to bed, goodnight."

With that, the Fire Prince stood up and walked over to where his sleeping bag lay and unzipped it.

"Don't you want some dinner before you go to sleep?" Sokka asked as Aang held up a bowl of more berries that they had cooked while he and Katara had been away.

"I'm not hungry," he said blankly as he lay down.

Zuko rolled over in his sleeping bag and shut his eyes.

* * *

Azula lay on her bed with her head buried in the pillow. Tears slowly and sadly leaked from her eyes to soak the soft material. Her hand lay under the pillow and her fingertips ran along the edges of the photo of her family.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she answered it as she sat up and straightened up.

It swung open to admit her father; he wasn't smiling. They started at each other for a moment in silence before he spoke.

"I like the dress. Nice design, nice colours," he commented.

"You saw it?" she asked.

"Yes, I went up to the dress room to see if you were done yet; I know most girls like to take their time with this sort of stuff. I didn't think you would be done yet, but the maids were still there and they showed me and told me you had returned to your room," he explained stiffly.

He stepped a little further into the room and sat on the foot of his daughter's bed. He looked around the room and sighed.

The Princess looked intently at the ground on the other side of the bed to which he was sitting. He noticed her huffiness and snapped.

"NOW, JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE SOMETHING DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO ACT LIKE THAT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO ACT LIKE THAT! YOU'RE LUCKY I'M SO LENIENT WITH YOU; IF I WASN'T SO LENIENT, I WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE!" he shouted, and Princess Azula was sure the maids in the dressing room could hear him.

She frowned but kept her eyes narrowed on the carpet. "No, you wouldn't have. Mum wouldn't have let you anywhere near me," she mumbled.

In a flash, Ozai was on his feet and pain shot through Azula's cheek as he gave her a backhander.

"How _dare_ you talk to me like that!" he hissed.

She breathed in sharply and exhaled slowly and harshly with her eyes closed tight. She opened them and turned to glare at the man she hated so much with an inferno burning inside them. She stood up to her full height, trying to make herself look as menacing as she could.

"Because I know it's true, and so do you," she breathed dangerously back to him, looking him in the eye and holding her gaze as long as she possibly could, but it wasn't very long; she was terrified by her father's stare.

He glared back down at her, with an evil, unblinking stare that could almost penetrate flesh. Slowly and seriously, he turned away from his daughter towards the door. On his way, he caught sight of the picture of his wife, Ursa. He stopped in mid turn and looked at it properly. He noted that the picture of the whole family was gone, and Ozai knew it wasn't because Zuko was in it; it was because he was in it.

The Fire Lord growled angrily and swept the picture and the remaining bits and bobs off the small surface with one sweep of his arm. Then, grabbing the corners of the bedside table, he upended it and sent it flying into the wall by the door.

With that he walked to the door, flames around his fists and sparks jumping into the air and onto the ground. As he passed the mess he had made, the bits and pieces caught fire and he slammed the door shut behind him, leaving the area he had touched scorched and charred.

The young woman knew she couldn't do anything while her father was still there and watched the destruction of her room. Once the door had slammed shut, she pounced on the flames and put all of them out as fast as she could.

When she had extinguished the last of them, she was panting. She slowly and angrily straightened up and put her bedside table back into position. She looked around the remains of the items on the floor that had previously been on the table. She picked them all up and found that the frame around her mother's picture was broken and the glass in front of it was shattered. Gently, she slipped it out and put the photo under her pillow, along with the one of a whole family that was once hers. She placed all of the other things back where they had been and lay back on her bed again.

She thought.

The wedding dress wasn't the most beautiful thing in the world to her, but the maids had seemed more loving about it than they ever had about anything and she was sure that it was because of what she had chosen, not the fact that she was the Fire Princess or that it was to be her wedding dress.

Remembering the dress, she thought it looked vaguely familiar.

_Where have I seen that dress before?_

She thought as hard as she could, but no recollection of the dress before that day came to her mind. Giving up, she slipped under the sheets of her bed and closed her eyes. It was getting late and she was tired.

She sighed and yawned and rolled into a more comfortable position on her side. Her hands rested on the edges of the pictures under her pillow as she drifted off into a restless sleep.

Azula dreamed.

She was running down a corridor, a hooded figure gaining on her. Every time they passed a window, she looked back to see her brother's face appear and disappear in the light, but neither of them stopped running. She reached her bedroom and swung the door open. When she stepped in, she found herself looking at her father and herself on her bed already, like there were two of her; the one that had just walked in and the one that was sitting on her bed.

Suddenly the second Princess said something, but the one standing at the door couldn't hear anything. But then her father slapped her and knocked over her bedside table and everything on it and left the room, walking right through her on his way out the door. It slammed shut behind him as the second Fire Princess put out the flames and fixed up her property as best she could. After a second, she lay down on her bed and disappeared like a puff of smoke.

Azula stood, panting in the middle of her room, completely alone and slightly confused and really scared.

Suddenly the edges of the room caught fire and the flames slowly enclosed around her as Zuko appeared with his hood drawn back, revealing his disfigured face. His hand groped around her throat and he pushed her back against the door.

"YOU MURDERED ME!" he shouted.

"No, Zuko! Please, I didn't do it! I'm sorry!" she choked back.

Suddenly, her brother's eyes widened in something that Azula was sure was understanding. And she was in his arms.

But something was very wrong. Although she was in his arms, he was crying and so was she. There was a sharp pain in her stomach. She felt around her abdomen and found a stab wound in her gut as she inhaled and exhaled raggedly. She looked down herself to find she was wearing the wedding dress, the same one she wore in all of her other dreams. It was white with red and gold trimmings, but there was no vale in sight.

She choked on a bit of blood as her brother cried onto her and she faded from life, into nothingness.

Everything was black and the Fire Princess knew she was dead. But she could feel something, tugging, pulling her back down to… something.

Azula sat bolt upright, cold sweat running down her face mixed with tears.

_Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, _she told herself as she calmed her panting.

She took in a deep breath and let it out again slowly. There – she was calm.

She lay back on her pillow and tried to lie flat on her back. But she couldn't; she was all tangled in the sheets. She twisted about a bit and made them come loose and free and she straightened them out and finally lay comfortably.

She thought again, of the dream.

Her brother, the corridor, her in her bed and her father trashing her room. Her room catching fire and then her brother appearing and hurting her, then she apologized and they were on the ground in a room and she was dying and they were both crying, and Zuko was holding her tight and understanding her. The stab wound, her wedding dress…

_That's it,_ she thought. _That's where I've seen my real wedding dress before; it's the same one as in the dream._

She rolled over in her bed again and lay there with her eyes open.

_I've got an even worse feeling about this wedding and that dress than before. _

* * *

As the sun rose, everyone on the campsite got up. Katara started making breakfast while she conversed with Sokka and Aang and Toph sat with Zuko and Iroh in an almost awkward silence while Haru, The Duke and Teo laughed and made jokes a little further away.

"Breakfast!" Katara called and everyone gathered around the fire to receive a bowl of rice and eggs along with some freshly picked and cooked Blaze berries. She noticed a tear run down Zuko's cheek as he slipped a berry into his mouth and she knew he was still thinking about his mother.

As Sokka and Aang finished their breakfast, Aang piped up. "Hey, Zuko! Are we going to do some more training today?"

"I dunno. It depends – are we planning to do some more moving or are we staying here today?" the Fire Prince asked.

"I think we'll stay here," Sokka cut in.

Aang and Katara and Toph all nodded in approval.

"Appa needs a little more rest and he'll need a little more energy now that we once again have a new recruit," Aang gestured towards Iroh.

He laughed heartily and the other groupers joined in.

"I think we can start making plans now anyways," Katara said.

"Why do you say that?" Toph asked.

"Well, we have that map from the mystery person," the waterbender explained.

"Oh yea! I forgot about the map," Zuko admitted.

Toph and Katara laughed.

"You were the one who said that the handwriting on the note looked familiar to you," Katara giggled.

Zuko blushed in humiliation. _How did I forget the map?!_

Suddenly he jumped up and ran over to the bag which the map was kept in and fished it out. He ran back over to his uncle and handed it to him, note and all.

"Does that handwriting look familiar to you?" he asked as the old man opened it and read the note.

He furrowed his brow and examined the writing.

"Yes," he agreed after a while. "It does look familiar."

"Do you know who it belongs to?"

The retired General shook his head and his nephew's face fell in disappointment.

"But it does, however, look familiar, and it is a real document," he said, examining the map and the note completely.

"We can work off this map. It looks like this thing is going to be really useful," Sokka said.

His companions nodded in agreement.

"Gods bless whoever sent this!" Aang called out to the sky.

Everyone else laughed.

"Yes, Aang. Gods bless them," Katara agreed and the young Avatar smiled at her.

* * *

As Princess Azula got ready for her day, she knew that she wasn't going to be sent on any missions to kill her brother or the Avatar. But she almost wished that she _was_ going to; she would do almost anything to not have to go over wedding plans with the servants, maids, her father and _Shang_.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Dad," she called.

"It's not your dad," came a feminine voice that was bright and full of life.

Azula blushed at her mistake.

"Come in Ty Lee."

The door flew open and the young acrobat cart wheeled into the room and stood next to her friend in front of her dressing table.

"I'll just wait out here," Mai said form the door.

"Come in, Mai," Azula gestured.

The dull girl joined them as the Fire Princess fixed up her hair. She looked at them in the mirror and her smile faded as she saw the looks in their eyes. She turned to face them.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Has something happened?"

They looked silently at each other.

"You haven't been telling us stuff, Azula," Mai said blankly.

The Fire Princess's heart dropped into her stomach as she turned back to the mirror. She knew exactly what Mai was talking about and that Mai knew that she knew. Azula sighed at herself in the mirror and then turned back to face her two best friends. They stared silently at each other for a moment.

"How did you guys find out?" she asked.

"We heard your dad talking about it," Ty Lee told her.

They looked at each other again for a moment.

"Ok, I'm marrying Shang. There, I said it," she informed them as she turned back to the mirror again.

They looked at each other in the mirror in silence for a moment longer.

"Why didn't you tell us? How long have you known?" Mai asked.

"And why are you marrying Shang? I mean, it's _Shang_; you hate him!" Ty Lee questioned.

Azula remained silent for a moment longer. "Do you think I chose him?"

Her friends looked at her in shock.

"Azula? What do you mean_, 'do we think you chose him'_?" Ty Lee asked, in a low voice, full of uncertainty.

Mai sighed loudly and rolled her eyes.

"Azula, please don't say that this is an arranged marriage," she said in a tone that was almost completely blank aside from the smallest hint of pity and sympathy.

Her two friends looked at her, awaiting her reply. She looked back with sad eyes that they had never seen before and she knew she had to answer them. She took in a deep breath and let out a long, slow sigh. Her eyes shut as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Yes, Mai. That is exactly what I mean," she confirmed and her friends gasped.

"No! But your father knows you hate him!" Ty Lee whimpered as tears of her own came.

"Azula, why would your father do something like that? Ty Lee's right; he _does_ know that you hate him." Mai sounded worried, as if she knew Azula was keeping something more from them.

"Azula, what's going on? What aren't you telling us?" Ty Lee had detected her dishonesty too.

The Fire Princess looked between the girls that had stuck with her through good times and bad, who had been her best friends since as far back as she could remember, had always been her backup, her companions who cared for her and who she knew she could tell her deepest, darkest secrets. And she knew she had to tell them just a little bit more.

Their eyes were locked on her as she spoke.

"You're right; there is more." She spoke in a soft, scared and sad tone that she had never used in front of them, and they both knew that something was terribly wrong. She went on. "I have to marry Shang, because…" The Fire Princess bit her bottom lip for a moment. "I'm pregnant with his baby," she finished in a whisper and knew her friends couldn't and didn't want to believe their ears.

Her eyes were closed and tears were racing down her cheeks.

"Azula…" Ty Lee breathed.

"How…?" Mai faltered.

Azula sobbed and drew a shaky breath as she wiped away some of her tears.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled.

But she knew she didn't need to; she had said enough. Her two best friends stepped forward and hugged her tightly and she felt their tears – Mai's for the first time – drip onto her.

* * *

"So, if we sneak in there in three days, when the guards are doing… Mr. Iroh, what exactly is it that the guards are going to be off duty doing?" Sokka asked as he poured over the map.

The retired old general shrugged, "I only caught that snippet of the conversation; I was in a hurry to get out of there before they spotted me," he apologized.

Sokka shrugged and continued to pour over the map.

"But Sokka, we need to get the war prisoners out first. We need to use the day the guards are off duty to defeat the Fire Lord. Without the invaders, there's no way we'd be able to get close enough to the Fire Lord to fight him, not to mention win!" Aang put in, Katara nodded. "Speaking of winning against the Fire Lord, seeing as there is no eclipse on the day, I'll need to know my firebending! C'mon Zuko, let's train already!"

The Fire Prince nodded and stood up, and he and the young Avatar went over to a part of the campsite they had cleared earlier for a training area.

"Ok Aang, take your stance," Zuko ordered as he obeyed his own demand.

Aang took the stance and kept his eyes trained on his teacher.

"Can we spar?" Aang asked eagerly.

"Later, I want to see the form I taught you first; we haven't practiced it in a while."

The airbender sighed but obeyed as he and his master ran through the movements of the first form.

Iroh watched in interest as the two benders trained. They ran through the first firebending form three times, the second one twice and the third one four times. By the end, Aang was exhausted.

"Ok Aang, take a break. We'll spar in a minute," Zuko said.

The airbender nodded and went to sit back with his other friends. At the same time, Zuko's uncle stepped forward.

"Zuko, when was the last time _you_ had a training session for yourself?" he asked, grinning.

The Fire Prince straightened up and smiled back at his relative. "Not for a while," he sighed.

"Let me see the last form I taught you. Take your stance!" he barked, still smiling. His nephew obeyed and took the stance. "Begin!" Iroh called.

Zuko moved, his fists alight, and he seemed to be dancing with some invisible partner. The fire he controlled made beautiful patterns as he twisted and side stepped and punched the air and kicked. Aang and the others watched in awe; they had never seen such and advanced training lesson and they all knew the moves he was doing were difficult.

He finished the form with a loud "KIA!" and everyone clapped for him.

He was sweating and panting.

"Well done, my Nephew. You truly are a master firebender," the retired general clapped.

Zuko smiled at him as he went and sat back down.

"Aang!" Zuko called. "Back up! Break's over."

The young Avatar jumped up and ran to stand along the opposite edges of the training area to where his teacher was standing. They faced each other and took stances.

"Go!"

Katara watched as Aang and the Prince fought. She remembered the last time she had watched them training and remembered her mental debate with herself.

_How did I fall in love with you? _She asked herself as she watched the two benders fight.

_Why did I think I'd never fall in love with you? Why did I hate you so much? _

_Surely you remember what happened in Ba Sing Se! Remember how he betrayed you? He opened up to you and made you feel that you could trust him and that he had actually changed then and there. And then he chose Azula's side when the fight started. You didn't want to fall in love with him because you were afraid that he would betray you again, and you didn't want to get hurt again. Remember how much he hurt you?_

_But he's changed. He's really proven himself. He's a good person now and I'm in love with him. He loves me too._

She still wasn't sure how she had fallen in love with the Fire Prince exactly, but she knew that she was truly in love with him.

She sighed.

_I really do love him._

* * *

Azula followed her father into the room that was full of bits and pieces that they would be needing for the wedding. Flowers and banners and other decorative things were being displayed everywhere and there, already looking through some of the accessories, was Admiral Shang.

The Fire Princess's heart screamed in protest to what was going on.

"Ah! There you are my love," he greeted her and she had no choice but to let him lead her to the tables to help him choose what they would have for the wedding. "So little time and so much to do!" he leered into her ear.

Princess Azula had to resist the urge to roll her eyes and start yelling at him. It was going to be a very, _very _loooooooong day.

* * *

After training, everyone, even Momo and Appa, gathered around the map again and they once again went over what they were going to do with it.

"We need to get the invaders out!" Sokka called. "That is our first priority!"

"But how? If we want to use this day of off duty guards to actually defeat the Fire Lord, then we need to have the fighters out in less than three days!" Aang reminded him.

They all sat in silence, stumped with that question. They all thought hard. How could they rescue the invasion prisoners and have a new invasion plan ready in three days?!

"Hold on! I just had an idea!" Zuko piped up.

Everyone looked eagerly at him.

"Uncle, do you know how long the guards are going to be off duty for and where there will still be guards, because I mean, they can't _all_ be off duty at the same time!"

"You're right, Nephew. There would still be guards at the gates of the city and around the prison. Maybe the odd one patrolling a corridor of the prison or palace. But otherwise, they'll all be off doing… whatever it is that they are doing," he said.

"Alright. How long is this for? All day?" the Prince urged.

"I don't know. I'm pretty sure it's all day," the old man informed them.

"Ok, I've got something. If we go in there in three days time, early in the morning, then we could rescue your friends and then return to some sort of base outside the city. Then we could quickly make up… no, we'll make the plan up now, but we'll explain it to them and then we can put it into action before the day's out!" he explained.

"And bing-bang-boom, the Fire Lord's dead we've won the war!" Sokka caught on.

"Exactly!"

"Whoa Zuko, that was really good thinking!" Katara praised him.

He shrugged.

"There's just one thing," Aang started. "How are we going to get in and out of the prison with the invaders without getting caught and drawing attention to ourselves?"

The Fire Prince scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment and clicked his fingers, making a spark.

"Toph!"

"I didn't do it!" she said quickly.

"Never said you did, but you will. You and Haru could form underground tunnels once we're in there to get them out! And then we could tunnel them all the way back to wherever we make base."

"Jeez, I gotta hand it to you, Firefly; you've really out done yourself!" Toph congratulated.

"Firefly?" Iroh almost chuckled.

"Yea, I make up nicknames for everyone in the group," Toph informed him. "Zuko's Firefly, Aang's Twinkletoes, Katara's Sugar Queen and Sokka's Snoozle. Haru's Mustachio, Teo's No Breaks and The Duke's Duke when I want to annoy him and Shorty or SpewHelmet when I'm not," she explained.

"Do I get a nickname?" he asked hopefully.

"Ok, um… how 'bout… Hulkenator!" Toph called.

Everyone started laughing.

"Old Tea-bag? Mr. Teapot?" she suggested.

"Good one Toph!" Aang giggled.

The blind earthbender grinned.

"Now, back to subject. How does everyone like my idea?" Zuko asked.

"Yea, great! Well done Zuko, you said it right!" they all agreed.

"Ok, now we just need to make the plans for how to get them in and out of there and then how to get back in there to get to the Fire Lord!" Aang sounded enthusiastic.

"Ok, how about, when we get to the prison, we attack some of the guards and take their armor. Then we'll dress up in their armor and pretend to be guards so that we can actually find them and then once we find who we're looking for, Toph and Haru and Aang can earthbend them out!" Katara thought out loud.

"Nice one, Katara!" Prince Zuko approved and the water girl felt herself blush as he smiled at her.

_He has such a __**gorgeous **__smile, _she sighed inwardly.

"Ok, then we'll…"

The boys went on with their conversation, but Katara lost track and could only look and smile at Zuko. She was absolutely hypnotized by him.

* * *

Azula, once again, heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she sighed.

The door opened and Mai and Ty Lee filed in. They all stood and faced each other with glum expressions.

"How was wedding practice?" Mai mumbled.

"Annoying," the Princess moaned.

They all watched each other in silence for a moment.

"How were your days?" Azula asked them both.

"It was alright, at first… until we heard your father talking about… you know," Ty Lee sounded as dull as Mai for the first time in her life.

"Ok, what was going so well at first?" the Princess tried to make conversation.

Both of her friends looked at each other in shock.

"Jeez, this whole getting married and being pregnant thing must really be taking up a fair bit of your mind," Ty Lee commented.

Princess Azula was confused.

Mai sighed exasperatedly and then started humming a tune that Azula could recognize anywhere and it made her kick herself so hard she almost fell over.

"OH! I can't believe I forgot! Happy seventeenth birthday, Mai!" Azula hugged her friend.

Mai rubbed her on the back gently and forgave her.

"I'm so sorry I forgot!" Azula slapped herself on the forehead. "But I have something for you."

She quickly went over to her bedside table and opened the top draw. She fished around inside for a moment and then pulled out a red necklace with a beautiful carving on it. Running back to her friend's side, she tied it around Mai's neck. The girl looked at it in the Princess's mirror and fingered at the pendant.

"Azula, it looks like a…an engagement necklace!" Mai sounded slightly shocked.

"That's because it is," she said.

Both of her friends looked at her in confusion.

"Zuko made it for you. He was going to give it to you on your seventeenth, but then he left and I found it in his room and thought I should give it to you."

"But Azula, Zuko's a fugitive; he wouldn't _still_ want to marry _me_, would he?" Mai was really confused. She loved Zuko, but he was on the other side of the war now; they just couldn't be together, he couldn't possibly still love her. "Anyway, your Dad wants him dead."

"Why would you even think of something like this, Azula?" Ty Lee asked.

"I have a hunch about how all of this is gonna turn out," she informed them.

They both looked at her, still shocked.

"Anyway, you know that even if he hadn't switched sides, and even if you didn't want to get married, don't you guys remember the deal our Dads' made, Mai?" she looked at her friend who shook her head. "When we were three, my Dad and your Dad decided that you and Zuko should get married; they set you up in an arranged marriage, remember?"

Mai remembered and nodded.

"But… this is almost like saying that you're a traitor. Does your Dad know you're giving this to me? Does he even know that it exists?" Mai asked.

The Fire Princess shook her head.

"I'm going to tell you both something… and you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else." Azula had lowered her voice suddenly, right down to a whisper. Her friends leaned in so they could hear as she continued. "I don't want to see Zuko dead, I don't want to be the one to kill him, I don't want either of you to kill him, I don't want Dad to kill him and I don't even want to know that he's dead. I don't want him dead at all."

"You're feeling sisterly towards him; you've actually become attached to him and you love him now, don't you?" Ty Lee asked.

The Princess nodded freely; it felt so good to finally tell someone how she felt.

Her friends gave each other concerned looks and Azula wanted to tell them _everything._ She wanted to tell them about how she wanted to join the Avatar and she wanted to tell them that she had helped them already and that Zuko was safe and happy and that he almost kissed…

_NO!_

Azula mentally kicked herself, really hard. And this time she _did _fall over. She quickly got back up as Mai and Ty Lee gave her looks of worry.

"I'm ok!" she said, straightening up.

"Anyway, we'd better be going," Ty Lee announced nudging Mai glumly.

"Good luck with the whole wedding thing," she sighed. "And thanks for the necklace. I still love your brother too and I do find it hard to go out on the missions your father sets us to capture him."

"Same goes," Ty Lee admitted. "I almost got use to seeing you smile and laugh and kiss him, Mai," she giggled.

All three girls started laughing quietly.

"See you later. Happy birthday, Mai," Azula dismissed them.

They left her room and she went back to her thoughts.

_What did you just do?!_

_What do you mean?_

_You just told Mai that it was alright with you if she married Zuko! You want Zuko to be with Katara, REMEMBER?!!! _

The Fire Princess berated herself.

_How could I have forgotten the almost kiss?! Why did I just do that?!_

_Because as much as you want Zuko to be with the waterbender girl, Mai's your best friends; you want her to be happy too, and you know she still loves Zuko! She even admitted it herself just now!_

_But Zuko's my brother; I should care for his happiness more…right?_

_Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that you care for Mai too. Anyway, you were planning to give that to her for her birthday after Zuko left for ages before you found out he and the waterbender almost kissed. On top of that, they've been in an arranged marriage since childhood._

_Urgh!_ _I just made my brother's love life that little bit extra harder, he's really gonna be pleased with me now… not!_

_And what about when Mai finds out about them? It'll break her heart if she finds out that he doesn't love her anymore. _

_She would have found out anyway. And what exactly were you thinking, telling them you had an idea of what was going to happen in this war? You basically told them that the Fire Nation had already lost!_

The Fire Princess had really risked a lot there and she knew it. But she trusted Mai and Ty Lee not to tell anyone about what had just been said; she just hoped that she could trust her instincts.

She sighed, "What have I done?"

* * *

"Ok, so that's it then. We'll go with that!" Sokka was extremely happy with himself.

"Well, we better make sure we are ready for everything then," Aang decided.

"And we should get plenty of rest," Katara added.

"But Aang still needs to train," Zuko reminded her.

"Well, when we aren't training him we need to rest," she said.

"Speaking of training," Iroh piped up, "how about I give both of you a lesson?" The old man looked between his nephew and the Avatar.

"Yea, sure thing."

"Ok, sounds fun."

"Well, while you guys are training, Toph, boys, will you help me around the camp with the cooking and setting up the eating area?" Katara asked. They all nodded and went off to do their own things.

Katara started preparing the rice, but handed it over to Sokka when she saw the way he was cutting the vegetables they were going to be using in the dish. Toph and the earth boys set up the dishes in the eating area so that they would be ready to put food in when Katara had finished cooking. They told jokes as they went and laughed.

"So, how's lover boy?" Toph asked as she came to stand by Katara, completely forgetting that Sokka was within earshot.

The Water Warrior looked at both of them in surprise and confusion and suspicion and opened his mouth to speak, but his little sister cut across him.

"Yea, he's good."

"You guys kissed yet?" the blind girl went on.

"Nope, not yet," Katara answered.

"WHAT?!" Sokka yelled in exasperation.

"Toph! You knew he was there! Why did you do that?!" Katara had completely forgotten that her older bother was standing right next to her when the blind earthbender had mentioned her "lover boy".

"Sorry! I didn't realize –"

"YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND?!" Sokka almost screamed, causing everyone on the campsite to stop what they were doing and stare at her.

"What? Who said that I have a boyfriend?!" Katara sounded flustered.

Sokka looked at her with his mouth hanging open; he didn't believe her.

"We were only joking!" she indicated to Toph who smiled and waved as innocently as she could.

Sokka continued to look unbelieving.

"Ok, everyone go back to your own business! Nothing to see over here!" Toph told the whole of the campsite.

Everyone shrugged and turned to go back to what they had been previously doing, but as Katara looked over to where Zuko and Aang were training with Iroh, she could see that they hadn't ignored what had been shouted out. Aang looked curious but hurt and jealous at the same time. Zuko looked scared and almost confronted and he knew that he had almost been busted.

The water girl looked back at her brother.

"I don't have a boyfriend. Toph and I are just mucking about. Thanks for shouting that out to the whole, entire campsite, by the way. The last thing I want is for everyone to be suspecting that I'm going out with someone else," she hissed, but Sokka wasn't convinced.

Nonetheless, he knew that Katara was in a bad mood and that if he pressed the subject, he'd have his head ripped off… and an uncooked blaze berry slipped into his dinner. He went back to cooking the rice and let things be.

* * *

**Did you like it? Was it sad? Was if funny? Did you cry? Yes? No? Maybe? Lobster? Yea, I know, I watch too much of the Abridged series (which you should totally check out on YouTube!)**

**Ok, now go and review.**

**AND JOIN TEAM ZUTARA! XD**


	12. Fighting to be Caught

**Ok, a note to mT before we begin;**

**Mwahahaha! Metal shoes are even better than rope! I think if you don't mind, I am going to use your idea! When I write the scene where Shang gets what he deserves, it will be thanks to you. I believe a cyber cookie is in order! Anyone else agree? Ok mT, give yourself a pat on the back and munch that thing down before I eat it myself! I'm glad I got the creepy reaction for the dreams I wrote again. Thank you very much. Now just think; if you were in Azula's position right now, would you be completely in your right mind? I sure know I wouldn't be! If anyone was wondering what I'm on about, you can go and snoop through my reviews to see what mT said. But I have one question; what does 'sardonic' mean? Sorry, O don't have a dictionary handy at the moment. **

**Ok, please R&R and most importantly, enjoy! **

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* * *

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**12. Fighting to be Caught**

As the Fire Princess sat in the dinning room with the Fire Lord, a messenger ran in.

"Why do you interrupt my dinner with my daughter and her friends?" he sighed.

The messenger bowed, "My Lord, the Avatar's bison has been sighted flying up towards the mountains. They are to the north of the city. What are your orders?"

Fire Lord Ozai paused for a moment then sighed.

"Daughter, you and your friends need to go and make another attack plan on your brother and the Avatar and his friends. No time to waste now, off you go," he ordered them all calmly.

The messenger bowed and left and Azula, Mai and Ty Lee got up to follow him. But the Fire Lord caught his daughter's arm before she passed him.

"Girls, go on ahead; I need to have a quick word to the Princess," he instructed Mai and Ty Lee and Azula nodded them off. They left, but she hadn't missed the looks of concern each of them wore on their face.

Once the door was shut again, Fire Lord Ozai pulled his daughter roughly towards him to that his lips were near her ear.

"You will go to the War Room and you will make this plan with your friends. You will carry out the plan and you will bring me your brother and the Avatar. Do not fail me again, Princess Azula, do not become the failure your brother and uncle are. If you fail this mission, I will not hesitate to punish you, severely. Now go!" he hissed in her ear, in a low and dangerous tone.

The Fire Princess nodded and left. She was scared, for herself and for her brother.

* * *

"Ok, we need to move out tomorrow, so everyone get your things ready now and have them ready by morning," Katara announced to the campsite.

Everyone nodded and began to pack what little possessions they had and items that were in their responsibility. Zuko, who had already packed, approached Katara.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" he whispered to her.

She nodded and they slipped away from the campsite and a little into the forest. As Katara looked back over her shoulder before they were out of sight, she caught Toph and Iroh laughing silently and smiling broadly at them. She hoped to the gods that they didn't comment about their absents to the others.

They stopped a little away form the campsite and Zuko turned to face Katara.

"How much did you tell your brother?" he asked.

"I didn't tell him anything. I said that I didn't have a boyfriend and that Toph and I were just mucking around," she whispered back.

Zuko sighed in relief and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Why did you and Toph start talking about it in front of him?" he asked her shoulder.

"Toph started it; she wasn't trying to bust us, she just wasn't paying any attention of who was in earshot and then she was just so eager to find out. I went with it by accident because mentioning you made me forget completely that he was standing right next to me," she explained.

The Prince chuckled and wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are we safe for now?" he whispered.

"Yes," she replied in a soft, sugar sweet voice.

He pulled his head a little away from hers and smiled at her. He put his hands on her hips and gently pushed her back against a tree. Their noses were touching as she spoke.

"If my brother finds out, he'll probably go crazy."

He laughed softly and gently nuzzled her ear with his nose and bowed his head. Katara could feel his hot breath on her neck and she felt his lips touch her jaw, near her cheek and they slowly started to travel towards her lips.

She had her eyes closed and waited for that moment, where his lips brushed hers and her heart would fly and she would deepen the kiss and it would be like magic. His lips were right at the corner of her mouth…

"WATCH OUT! THEY'VE SURROUNDED US!" Sokka's voice called out frantically, causing both Zuko and Katara to jump and look towards the campsite.

There was the sound of flames in the air and an orange glow went up and down on the leaves of the trees in the direction of the campsite. There was a streak of blue light among that orange and they heard their companions scream as it appeared.

"Azula…" they whispered.

* * *

It was near midnight when the Fire Princess and her small troop saw the faint glow of a campfire in the distance. Azula signaled to her men to keep quiet and they surrounded the campsite as silently as possible. She gave her signal and they began to close in on it. She held her breath.

_Please, something, anything happen to just stop me from having to do this, _she pleaded silently, but she got no answer.

She was only a meter from the campsite. Another step and they would be able to see her. She gave her final signal and she and her troops all stepped out of their hiding places at the same time, shooting fire at their victims. Azula used her blue lightning as she led them.

"WHATCH OUT! THEY'VE SURROUNDED US!" the Water Tribe Warrior shouted loudly as he and his friends took up fighting stances.

Time went in slow motion as Azula and the firebenders attacked the group from all directions, but as the Fire Princess looked around and saw the Avatar and his friends, she saw that her uncle Iroh was with them. But she also saw that two people were missing; the waterbender and her brother.

_Please stay safe and where you are… wherever you are, _she begged.

But just as she thought it, she knew she had jinxed it. Of course, right at that moment, the two who had been missing emerged from the edges of the campsite, behind her troops. She saw the look of terror and hate on Zuko's face as he narrowed his eyes to daggers on her.

_Here we go again…_

The Fire Princess took her fighting stance and pulled up a wall of blue lightning to block her brother's attack. She countered him and he sent up a wall of flames to protect himself. When his fire went back down, Katara had disappeared and out of the corner of her eye, Azula could see she had just started fighting some of her soldiers.

_Please don't hurt her, at least not in front of Zuko, _but she knew that they already had orders directly from her father to kill anyone and everyone who got in their way and only keep the Prince and the Avatar alive.

Zuko shot fire at her; he let out all his anger towards her in each and every fireball. She deflected it and sent blue flames back at him. But as he shot back at her and she watched him, she saw that he was not about to let her go onto the offensive side. They were equal. But they could both see it wasn't the same for everyone else. Sokka had been knocked down and was unconscious. Katara had at least a dozen firebenders attacking her and they were all going on the offensive, fast. Toph and Haru stood back to back, sending earth pillars at the soldiers that focused on them, but there were just so many of them. Teo and The Duke were both knocked down at the same time and someone went and tied them up. Aang and Iroh stood back to back, fighting at least twenty soldiers. Iroh used his firebending to the best of his abilities and Aang used all four elements. But the soldiers were persistent; they would not give up.

Azula struck Zuko and he was pushed backwards into a tree trunk and she advanced on him. Out of the corner of his eye, the Fire Prince saw Haru get knocked down and Toph fell unconscious as she was struck from behind.

Aang saw Zuko against the tree and made the earth beneath the Princess's feet shift so that she stumbled. He couldn't do much else as he tried to hold back the other soldiers with Iroh. In that split second as Azula lost her balance, Zuko's mind suddenly sprung into action. Her team was on the offensive, but what if someone got_ her_? Then what would they do?

In a flash, Zuko reached his arms out and caught his sister in mid fall. She looked at him in shock, thinking that it was a sign of sibling affection and her heart leapt, only to fall back down with a splat as she found herself in a full nelson. She couldn't move.

Just as Katara was about to get knocked down, Zuko shouted, "EVERYONE STOP!" They all stopped to look and see what the commotion was, only to see Azula trapped in Zuko's arms.

"YOU! Let her go!" one of the Princess's men shouted. Another one charged at the Fire Prince, but he easily sidestepped his attack.

"Nobody move! Back away from the Avatar and his friends or I'll kill her!" Zuko commanded as he slipped the pearl dagger his uncle had given him out of his robe and held the blade to his sister's throat. The soldiers knew he was in power to do as he said he would and immediately stood down.

The Prince signaled to Katara, Aang and his uncle to help Sokka, Toph, Haru, The Duke and Teo. The three Earth Kingdom boys only needed help getting up as they came out of their unconscious state. Haru and Aang held Toph up between them and Iroh lifted Sokka up in his arms. The Duke and Teo quickly helped Katara pack up the campsite and load everything onto Appa's back. Momo appeared out of the trees and perched himself into the saddle as the still unconscious were loaded up.

Zuko kept his eyes trained on the soldiers who had no choice but to let their enemies escape while the Fire Prince had a knife to Azula's throat.

The Princess looked down at the blade and read the inscription on the side; _Never give up without a fight._

She had to refrain from sighing out loud, _I can see why uncle gave it to you; your struggles were obvious. But if he knew what I was going through right now, would he give something like that to me?_

Of course she got no answer; she hadn't asked it out loud. But just as she began to consider doing so, her brother started moving towards the bison, dragging her roughly along with him.

The soldiers watched in disbelief as the young Avatar bound their leader's wrists in metal chains. The water girl did the same for her feet. Haru leaned over the saddle and he and Iroh hoisted Azula onto the bison's back.

Zuko got into the saddle and helped Katara up, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the soldiers who had their hands up in the air to show their truce.

"Don't follow us," Zuko called down to the silent group of firebenders as he held his knife to their Princess's throat again. "Or she ends."

They all nodded hastily and let the giant bison take off.

"What do we do now?!" one of them asked his comrades in panic.

"Ok, if the Fire Lord asks, she didn't give us the order to help her and we had no choice but to let them take her if she was to be kept alive... so, pretty much just tell the truth."

"Agreed," they said in union.

* * *

Azula felt a gut wrenching feeling as Appa took flight. She had never been flying before and this being her first time was bad enough, being tied up and surrounded by people who considered her the enemy to boot.

They were far from the ground; they couldn't see the light from the campfire, but in the moonlight, she could see everyone who was conscious giving her icy glares. It unsettled her. Zuko still held his knife to her throat and she was leaning up against him with his arms around her in an effort to stop her from being able to move.

She knew that he wasn't being affectionate towards her in the slightest, but being in his arms like that just felt almost… right. She had to resist the strong urge to nuzzle into the broad chest that her head was resting against. She sighed in relief to finally be with him, but managed to pull it off as one of frustration for being caught, just as to not cause suspicion.

This was going to be hard. What was she going to do?

_I could just tell them that I'm on their side…_

_Yea Azula, why don't you just do that? I'm sure they'll believe something like that from you, _she told herself sarcastically and had to suppress a snort.

_Well… WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO???!!!_

_Just pretend that you are the way you normally are for now and try to escape before they do something horrible to you._

_But they wouldn't do something horrible to me… would they?_

_Let me think… how about, YES! You've almost killed all of them on several occasions! They see you as a bent, evil, psychotic BITCH! _

_Oh. Right. WELL, WHAT DO I DO?!_

She sighed inwardly. _You can't do much to escape them now; you're goodness knows how high up in the air! If you did something now, you would either fall out of the saddle or make the bison crash land! I doubt it'll listen to your commands, so don't bother trying to steer it. _

_What. Do. I. Do?_

_Just wait for them to land and I'll talk to you then._

Azula sighed out loud again, but this time, only Zuko heard and so she received a harsh glare from him. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Aang looked over the mountaintops in search of a clearing. Finally he spotted one and, much to Appa's relief, they headed for it and landed with a little more force than necessary.

"Good job, buddy. We owe you," the airbender said as he slumped forward on his head and fell asleep on his soft fur.

"Aaawww…" Sokka moaned. "Sun, go back down! I didn't get sleep."

"Get over it, Sokka," Katara grumbled. "You can sleep with the sun; I've seen you do it before."

The Water Tribe Warrior huffed and slipped out of the saddle and onto the ground with his sleeping bag. Haru and the now conscious Toph followed suit. The Duke, Teo and Iroh were already asleep inside the saddle and so Katara scooted over to where Zuko was, his sister still tied up and being held on to by him.

"That was really annoying," she whispered to him, Azula was the only other person who could hear this conversation.

"Tell me about it! What's that? The third time something's happened?!"

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed as Sokka grunted from where he lay, already asleep on the ground.

The Prince mumbled an apology as he yawned.

"You look terrible. You need some rest," she told him.

"I'm fine. Anyways, someone's gotta keep and eye on this one," he said as he shook his little sister slightly, causing her to jump out of her near sleep.

She sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that the widdle pwincess got scared so easily," he mocked in a baby voice while he smirked at her. But his smirk faded and was replaced with an almost gapping mouth as she failed to fully suppress a laugh and couldn't quite keep the corners of her lips from slipping upwards in a smile.

She quickly overcame the moment of humor and straightened her face again. But her brother didn't stop looking at her in shock and Katara had joined him. She looked between them, slightly unsettled.

"What? Aren't I allowed to laugh when my brother makes a funny?" she asked seriously, but got no reply. She looked away before her straight face fell to her emotions again and her brother and the waterbender stopped staring.

"So, I'll stay up with you then," Katara announced.

"No, you need some rest –"

"I'm fine," she repeated his own words.

"No, go to sleep –"

"You aren't the boss of me. If you're gonna stay up then so am I," she said.

The Fire Prince sighed out loud, "Fine."

Katara smirked at her victory as she settled herself down next to him.

Azula snorted quietly to herself and smirked.

_Wow, Zuko must be into the girls who don't let many people tell them what to do and don't really care how others see them. First Mai and now this one…_

_Hey, we've landed; you can start talking to me now._

_Oh, right. WHAT DO I DO?!_

_Calm it girl! Right, think; what do you want to do?_

_I don't know! I want to join them and tell them that I'm on their side and let Zuko know that I love him like anything._

_Then why don't you?_

_Hey, you're the one who said last night that they wouldn't believe something like that from me!_

_Hey, that's right. I did too, didn't I? Jee, I'm really losing it._

_THEN WHAT DO I DO?!_

_Well, you could try escaping. What are the consequences for if you try escaping?_

_Well, if I don't succeed then they'll make it so that I can't escape and then they'll give me a really hard time… but if I do escape, I'd have to go back to the palace and…_she sighed out loud, _marry Shang._

_Then there's your answer._

_Fine, I'll stay._

She leaned back against her brother with her eyes closed and fell asleep. He didn't bother to wake her up; he had probably fallen asleep already too.

* * *

Aang opened one eye and then the other as he heard a twig snap. He sat up slowly and looked around, everyone was asleep except their captive, who looked as if she had just woken up too the sound as well.

Azula didn't move from her position against her brother's chest, but sat there, wide eyed and scanning the area in her view. Her eyes rested on Aang for a moment and he looked back at her.

"Did you hear it to?" she whispered.

The monk nodded and slowly stood up on top of Appa's head and looked right around the place they had landed. Azula slowly pulled away from Zuko's chest and shakily and clumsily stood up and looked right over the campsite, trying not to trip in her chains. They both watched and listened and waited for the next sound as it all went silent, but nothing came.

They each let out a held breath and relaxed, only to jump again as a loud snap of a twig was heard and a platypus bear emerged from the trees and charged at Azula, who still stood atop the bison. The bear jumped and landed inside the saddle, mere meters away from her and it let out a ferocious roar that woke up everyone who was still asleep.

It had stopped charging at her and just gazed hungrily at her. The Princess was frozen to the spot with fright; she couldn't move. They were facing each other from opposite ends of the saddle and she was chained up and could hardly keep her balance when she wasn't petrified.

In her peripheral vision, she could see the others on the campsite rubbing the sleep out of their eyes and jumping up in shock at the sight of the beast.

Everyone who was in the saddle was on their feet and eyeing the platypus bear cautiously. But it kept its gaze fixed on the Fire Princess.

It growled again and bared its teeth and lunged out at Azula. But before it could touch her, something hot and orange whipped it. It turned to growl at Zuko, who had sent a fire whip at it from his new position on the ground. But it didn't deem him worthy of prey and turned back to his little sister. It growled again and jumped towards her to push her out of the saddle.

She screamed as it neared, but something else pushed her out of its way and she was in her brother's arms again, and this time, he really was protecting her.

The bear jumped off the side of the saddle and onto the ground. He looked back at everyone hungrily, but they all took fighting stances – Azula did her best while she was still chained up – and it waltzed away, giving up on its meal.

Everyone sighed in relief and let their guard down. Azula turned to her older brother.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

The Fire Prince stood, baffled for a moment, unsure if he had heard correctly.

"I'm sorry, _what _did you just say to me?"

"I said… thank you... for saving me. It would have killed me," she said it just loud enough for everyone to hear.

They all looked shocked to hear those words from her, but none of them complained.

They all turned to Zuko.

"That was really cool," Sokka commented.

"Yea, that thing almost killed you! Both of you!" Aang exclaimed, indicating between the brother and sister firebenders.

"That was so brave of you, Zuko!" Katara swooned and he blushed slightly.

Azula, Toph and Iroh all snickered and had to resist the urge to wolf whistle. They all caught each other doing it and couldn't stop themselves any longer. They burst out laughing and Azula doubled over in her chains and fell flat on her backside, causing Toph and her uncle to laugh harder. She joined them more than willingly.

The others started incredulously at the Fire Princess.

"Azula, I… haven't heard you laugh like that since you were a six-year-old!" Zuko remarked in amazement.

She kept laughing and so did Iroh, but Toph stopped, now over the matter and slightly confused to hear Azula laughing like she was.

"Azula?" Zuko tried to call his sister back to earth, but she couldn't stop laughing. "Azula?"

She was basically hyperventilating now. She was lying down, unable of keeping herself upright. Iroh had calmed himself down so that he was only grinning broadly, now he stared incredulously at his niece.

"Azula?" he asked in uncertainty.

But she couldn't stop laughing. Iroh looked amused and watched her as if it was a theatre show. Zuko watched in bewilderment, but he couldn't help but notice how funny she looked and sounded.

"Uncle, don't you think… she has Mum's laugh?" he asked the old man, who listened more carefully and nodded his head.

"Hysterical and uncontrollable."

Zuko watched his little sister and his face cracked into a smile and he started to laugh at her.

"Oh…Zuko, please… don't you start laughing too… I'll never stop…" Azula pleaded with her brother, but it was too later; they were both laughing to the point of no return. And their uncle joined in.

"Uncle… nooooo…" she couldn't stop herself or either of her relatives.

Zuko fell to his knees and doubled over near the Fire Princess and his uncle plopped down where he was. All of their companions watched the three of them in shock. Iroh started taking in deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. He only managed after a few minutes and looked between the two who were still laughing.

"Um, Zuko, Azula? Earth to my niece and nephew. Hey! Both of you shut it already! Don't do what you did when you were little!" Iroh was only slightly annoyed.

But neither of them could stop laughing.

"Can't…breathe…" Azula choked as she went.

"Stop… laughing… then…" Zuko tried to talk back.

She just shook her head, unable to answer.

Suddenly, there was a lot of rustling in the bushes nearby and several platypus bears roared loudly from somewhere nearby. Both brother and sister stopped laughing immediately.

"L-let's get out of here," Azula suggested.

"Yep!" everyone agreed with her instantly and everyone who wasn't in Appa's saddle jumped up.

The giant bison took off and flew away from the area, just as two platypus bears emerged from the undergrowth. They stared hungrily up at the bison that slowly faded from sight as he flew above some low hanging clouds.

They could see it was past noon and the sun was about to start setting.

"Are we gonna stop for the night or keep flying?" Toph asked.

"We're gonna stop; Appa needs his rest and so do we," Aang informed her.

She nodded her agreement as she settled down next to Katara, who sat next to Zuko, who had his little sister leaning against him.

"I seriously haven't heard you laugh like that since you were six," he commented.

The Princess shrugged.

"And I agree with your brother; you have your mothers laugh – hysterical and uncontrollable," Iroh cut in, causing both of them to laugh again. But this time they didn't go into a fit or carry on and make a seen.

"Good times. I miss hearing your mother's laugh," Iroh said.

"Well, as long as you don't let me escape and you say and do things that are funny, then you'll hear it plenty from me!" Azula informed him proudly.

Zuko thumped her back playfully and smiled, "Stop acting like my six-year-old! You're making me feel like I have my Lala back."

"Lala?" Katara asked curiously.

"I have to pay some price to call him Zuzu, don't I?" the Princess sighed, glaring at her brother for bringing that up.

Katara chuckled and so did Iroh.

The old man spoke up again, "I haven't heard you call your sister Lala since you were seven and she was six. And you only called her that when you were having a good time!"

"Well... having a reason to laugh is having a good time... isn't it? the Prince shrugged, thinking of his actions and feelings just now and becoming very confused.

Azula giggled, "Of course it is, Zuzu."

He smiled slyly at her and gave her a dead arm. She, Zuko, Iroh and Katara all laughed. Toph just shook her head.

"The things you people laugh at."

Katara reached over and gave her a dead arm too.

"Ouch! Hey, I'm only just walking again! Don't give me any more injuries!" she ordered, as she too started laughing.

They flew for a further five minutes before Aang shouted out from his place on Appa's head, "There's a clearing over there! It looks pretty secluded and inaccessible to platypus bears or anything else that can't fly."

"Ok, we'll land there and set up camp for the night," Sokka decided for the group.

No one complained or disagreed and Appa started descending. He landed and everyone got off and started setting up camp, except for the Fire Princess, who was chained up and remained in the bison's saddle.

Katara started unloading the cooking materials with some help from Toph, Zuko and Iroh while Sokka went to collect some firewood. Aang started clearing the area of any twigs and rocks so that it would be flat and more comfortable to sleep on and safe to train on and Haru, The Duke and Teo started unloading the bags.

Camp was ready within ten minutes and Iroh started a campfire when Sokka got back and Zuko resumed guarding Azula.

Katara cooked a big dinner to make up for missing breakfast and lunch and Aang did some earthbending training with Toph and Haru. Sokka was assigned the job of setting up the sleeping bags with The Duke and Teo. Iroh went to find some water and Zuko decided that his sister wasn't going anywhere while she was all chained up. The Prince hopped down from the saddle and wandered over to Katara.

"How's it going?" he asked casually.

Toph snickered and stifled a giggle with a cough.

"I'm going to go keep and eye on Azula. You can handle making the rice, right Firefly?" Zuko nodded and the blind earthbender skipped over to where the prisoner sat up in the saddle.

"Again; how are you?" he repeated.

Katara felt herself blush slightly, "Yea, I'm good."

"Great!"

"And how are you?" she asked.

"Sleepy and hungry."

"Why couldn't you just pretend there was nothing wrong like I did?" she giggled.

"I didn't want to; I don't want to lie to you. Do _you_ want me to lie to you?" he nudged her playfully.

She rolled her eyes, "You boys are so difficult!"

They both laughed lightly.

* * *

"Hey,_ Lala_." Toph greeted her captive.

"Hello, um… girl-who-gives-everyone-nicknames-and-stole-the-one-my-brother-gave-me."

Toph smirked as she sat next to the older girl. "So, how do you think you're gonna escape this one?"

"I'm not so sure I'm gonna get out on my own," Azula answered without thinking.

_You idiot!_

"So, you're just gonna wait until Circus Freak and Glooms Day Girl come and rescue you?"

"Them or some of my soldiers."

Toph shrugged, hiding her mild interest in the subject from the quickening beating of Azula's heart.

"Whatever."

They left it at that and sat in silence.

**

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**Well, what did you think? A bit rushed, I know, but I had to do it. You'll forgive me, right? Right? **

**Ok, well, review please; I like reviews.**

**And if you haven't joined TEAM ZUTARA yet, please do so.**


	13. The Amber Bracelet

**Ok, over to mT; yes, I am considering throwing Shang into a river with weighted shoes... or rope and a tree... they both sound tempting and they are definitely on my list of 'ways-to-get-rid-of-the-evil-rapist'. BD. I was a bit concerned about how people were going to react to the laughing fit, but as you said, even if they don't get along 'now', something that reminds them of good times is bound to be plausible. Thanks for the definition of 'sardonic' and I'm glad you liked Azula's nickname (Lala!).**

**Ok you all know the drill, read and review, and above all, enjoy!**

_Dedicated to my 8th grade English teacher, who gave me an amber bracelet when I was very sick and told me the Chinese tradition behind it. _

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**13. The Amber Bracelet**

"Dinner!"

Everyone sat around the campfire to receive their food. Zuko got Azula down from the saddle and she was given food as well.

"There's just this one reason I don't like having a prisoners with us; it's an extra mouth for me to feed. Zuko, if you earn us any more prisoners, then you'll be making dinner on your own!" she warned jokingly.

"You've been told!" Azula giggled, attempting to give her brother a dead arm.

"Give you told!" he smirked, but he couldn't hold it and burst out laughing after a few seconds.

The Princess rolled her eyes, "You really are pathetic, Zuzu."

He stopped laughing as Katara put a bowl of rice with some Blaze Berries in front of him. He began to eat as she gave Azula a bowl.

"How am I supposed to eat this?" she asked as she looked to her sibling.

"If you don't like Katara's cooking then you can starve," he shot at her, a little coldly.

"I'm not complaining about the food; it smells and looks great! I mean how am I supposed to eat it when I'm all tied up?"

Zuko looked slightly shocked for a moment. "Oh, um… I guess I could untie you… but no! You'd try and escape."

"Escape? Why would I try to escape… oh, wait, I'm your prisoner, aren't I?" she almost laughed at how easily she had forgotten it.

"She really did forget!" Toph informed them.

They all looked surprised for a moment. Then, shaking it off, Zuko started again.

"Well, I guess that means…" Zuko spooned a heap of the rice and held it up to her mouth. "Open up."

"No way am I –" the Prince stuck the spoonful in her mouth in mid-speech and reached forward and pinched her nose. His little sister had no choice but to swallow. She scowled at Zuko for a moment and then frowned at the taste in her mouth.

"If you're gonna start complaining now, don't!" he warned.

"No, I'm not complaining, just… it tastes like mum's Blaze Berries," she looked up at him.

He was momentarily shocked at the mention of their mother and the fact that his sister recognized the dish. "That's because it is."

Her eyes filled with question as he said it.

"We found some at one of our last stop and I taught Katara how to make it," he explained.

"Well, she's done a good job of it," Azula said, as Zuko raised the next spoonful to her mouth. Toph giggled as she watched.

"What's your problem?" She glared daggers at the girl for a split second.

"?Oh, nothing. It's just that Firefly was the last one I would have thought I would have seen feeding his little sister like a baby."

"Yea, Toph, there's just a slight problem with that sentence; you were born blind; you haven't _seen _anything."

"Shut it, Firefly!"

"Why do you call my brother Firefly?"

"Cause, I give everyone in our group nicknames and that was the one I thought of for him."

"Well, as his little sister, I must give you my permission to call him Zuzu!" Princess Azula announced.

"Jee, thanks!" Toph smiled.

"Ok, enough with my nicknames already. Azula, if you don't open your gob I'm gonna keep eating my dinner and not give you yours until it's cold!" Zuko warned.

"Can you please untie me for meals? I promise I won't try anything. But I'm really hungry and it feels really weird to let you feed me," she reasoned.

Zuko looked at her for a moment in uncertainty.

"What do you think, guys? Do you think it's safe for me to untie her, just for this?"

The gang gave each other looks of uncertainty and then turned back to the Prince.

"I guess it would be alright… but just until she's finished eating. Then tie her back up," Aang spoke.

Zuko nodded and fiddled with the key as he unlocked the chains around his sister's hands, unsure of just how safe this was going to be.

"Thank you," she said as she rubbed her wrists.

Something caught Zuko's eye as she picked up her bowl and started feeding herself. It was an amber bracelet on her left wrist. But not any bracelet; he recognized this bracelet. He had given her that bracelet.

"How long have you been wearing that?" He indicated to it.

She stopped what she was doing and looked at the bracelet. "I never took it off," she admitted after a moment of silence.

The gang looked between the Fire Prince and Princess in confusion, except for Iroh. It was obvious to the others that he already knew what they were on about.

After a moment, he spoke, "Niece, are you feeling alright? You have not been acting yourself lately and you look a tad pale. Shall I make you some tea?"

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"No thanks, Uncle. I don't want any tea at the moment."

"Always tea, _always_ with the tea!" Zuko mumbled.

"What was that, Prince Zuko?"

"Nothing, Uncle. Nothing at all."

Iroh scowled at his nephew for a moment before turning back to Azula, "Are you feeling ok though?"

"He's right; you do look a bit pale," Sokka put in, but no one really took notice of him.

"Yea, you are pale," Zuko told her.

_I feel really sick, like I'm getting a fever, _"I'm fine," she lied, but was touched by their concern. She felt herself wobble a bit as she swallowed another spoonful. She furrowed her brow. _Please don't let me faint __**again**__._

But she had jinxed herself. Her eyes rolled and she slumped forward. Zuko swore loudly and only just managed to catch her before she fell into the fire.

"Oh, come on! Wake up!" he shook her, but she didn't stir.

His uncle jumped up and bent over again where they were. He put his hand on her forehead and waited for a moment.

"She has a temperature; I think she's getting a fever."

Zuko sighed, "Well, what do we do?"

"Come lie her down over here." The old man indicated to an area where someone had set out the extra sleeping bag.

Zuko lifted his sister up in his arms and carried her over to it and lay her down gently. He stooped over her in concern for a moment and his uncle put a hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be fine."

"I know that! I mean; we're talking about Azula. I mean; she _AZULA!_"

"Right," his uncle agreed hurriedly. It was obvious to him that his nephew did not want to admit that he was concerned for his little sister.

They both returned to their places around the campfire and finished their dinner. They were all silent and Iroh and Zuko were deep in thought.

_How much does he still care for her?_ The retired general wondered.

_How much do I care for her?_ Zuko asked himself. _Why has she never taken that bracelet off? If she hates me so much to the point that she's willing to kill me, then why does she even still have it?_

* * *

Azula threw a fireball to Zuko. He caught it and threw it back. She caught it again and twirled around like a ballerina and made the flames circle her. She threw them up into the sky and made them explode like a firecracker.

Zuko laughed at her and watched the fire disappear. Azula was laughing too, but something was wrong. Something hurt in her chest as she breathed in. She began to cough and choke.

"Azula? Hey, are you ok?" her brother ran over to her. She kept coughing. "Azula?!" He was panicking. The girl doubled over and continued to choke. "MUM!" Zuko shouted. Azula tried to breathe in, but she fainted instead. "AZULA!" her brother caught her. "MUM!"

A woman ran outside and gasped at the sight of her children. Azula was unconscious in her brother's arm and Zuko was basically in tears.

"Quick, go and make her bed!" Ursa took her daughter from her son's arms and began to walk inside. Zuko raced ahead to obey his mother's orders.

The scene changed and she was lying in her bed with Zuko by her side. She was pale and close to unconscious. A doctor and her mother and father stood outside the door talking in low voices.

"…Dying…" was the only word they caught of the conversation and then they saw the saddened expressions on her parent's faces. The doctor walked away and Ursa burst into tears. Ozai held her close and rubbed her back.

Both children looked at each other in worry.

"No…" Zuko whispered as tears streaked down his face.

"Zuko, I don't wanna die. I wanna stay with you," Azula sobbed.

"You will," he whispered back to her and he pulled a bracelet out of his pocket and slipped it onto her left wrist. "It's made of amber. It's one of those bracelets that are supposed to give you good health. I saw you looking at it in the shop window the last few times we went into town and I heard you ask Mum if you could have one. I was going to give it to you on your fifth birthday, but I don't think I can wait that long while you're like this."

"Zuko, thank you," she smiled. But suddenly, she felt a gut wrenching feeling, a harsh tightening in her chest and she became unconscious. Zuko let the tears rush down his cheeks, knowing that he would never be able to keep them back as leaned on her lifeless body.

Suddenly the bracelet sparkled, just for a split second.

"Zuko…" she whispered. And they both knew she was going to be ok.

* * *

Azula opened her eyes. She was back in the campsite and she was sixteen. It had been eleven years since her brother had given her that bracelet that had saved her life and she would never forget it. She wore it as often as she could.

She rolled over and wiped some cold sweat from her brow. Her uncle was kneeling over her.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked.

"You have a high fever and you are sick. Go back to sleep."

She rolled back over and obeyed.

* * *

"Is she awake?"

"She was, she needs her rest," Iroh replied.

Zuko looked around; everyone else was asleep. He scooted closer to his uncle. "What do you think is wrong with her?" His voice was of concern.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps she's just not well."

The Prince furrowed his brow as he watched his little sister sleep. Suddenly an idea hit him.

"Uncle, you remember when we were refugees in Ba Sing Se?"

"How could I forget?! You had your first girlfriend!" the man laughed. His nephew blushed.

"Yea… well, you know how I freed Appa from the Dai Lee?"

Iroh nodded.

"Well, you remember that night?"

His uncle frowned for a moment before he remembered, "And you went through a metamorphosis?"

Zuko nodded. "Well…"

"Zuko! What could have made you think that?!"

"She's been with us all day. She hasn't attacked us or been rude; she's been laughing and smiling as if she were a six-year-old again. I even saved her life this morning! Uncle, what if… what if it is a metamorphosis? What if she's changing and when she comes out of it, she's like she was ten years ago, when we were kids? What if she's on our side of this war?"

The old man was silent for a moment, he answered slowly and carefully, "If it is a metamorphosis…" He smiled at his sleeping niece. "Then… that's really good luck for us."

"Do you think it is?" Zuko urged.

"Maybe… just maybe."

Zuko smiled; his heart was flying.

_It would be wonderful to have her back! I'd give up almost anything to have her back to the way she was!_

Simply knowing it was a possibility gave him hope. But he knew he would shatter if he was wrong. He prayed that he was right.

* * *

In a way, the Prince was right; his sister was indeed going through a metamorphosis. But it wasn't for the reasons he suspected. Zuko thought Azula was trying to work out whose side of the war she was on. But the Princess already knew whose side she was on; she wasn't changing her mind on that one any time soon. What she was fighting with herself about was whether or not she should show it, especially to her brother and the Avatar. Could she change that part of her life?

She desperately wanted to, but after everything that had been said and done, would Zuko or any of the others believe her if she told them that she was on their side and that she never meant any of those terrible things she had done? She doubted it and so, she was hesitating to voice her status in the war.

But keeping feelings like these all bottled up inside was making her sick. She coughed and shuddered as she rolled over in her sleep. Cold sweat dripped from her brow and she felt her uncle dab it away with a moist cloth.

"What's wrong with me?" she mumbled again.

"It is ok. I have a feeling you are experiencing a metamorphosis. Your brother went through the same thing when we were in Ba Sing Se. Do not worry; it will all be over soon and you will be the beautiful Princess I once knew," the wise old man told her gently.

Princess Azula smiled faintly up at her uncle and he reached for her left wrist and fingered at the amber bracelet. He smiled back at her as she drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

"I'll be going to sleep now; a man needs his rest. Will you be alright to watch over her?"

"Sure thing, Uncle."

The old man tiptoed over to his sleeping bag and lay down. He was snoring within seconds and Zuko could have sworn he had never known someone to fall asleep so fast.

"Urgh! What is that?!" Toph asked, sitting up. She glared blindly at Iroh as Katara sat up too.

"Jeez, your uncle sure knows how to snore," the waterbender commented.

"Well, I don't think I'm gonna get to sleep for a while now. So, let's talk," the blind girl decided, wide awake in an instant.

The other two nodded and they all gathered near where Azula slept.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Katara indicated to the Fire Princess.

"Uncle and I have an idea."

"Firefly, your heartbeat just started racing with excitement. What do you think is up with her?" Toph urged.

The Fire Prince smirked at the suspense he had them in.

"We think it might be a metamorphosis."

"A _what_?!"

"That sounds like some sort of disease!"

"A metamorphosis is when you are going through a big change. It sometimes causes you to have very serious mental or emotional debates. In this case, Uncle and I think she's fighting over whose side of the war she's on. She's been with us all day and she's barely complained, she hasn't tried to escape and she been laughing as smiling like she use to when we were kids! I haven't heard my sister laugh like she did today since she was six! That was ten years ago! I just hope that when she comes out of it, she's chosen the right side," Zuko explained.

The girls nodded.

"Were you close to her when you were kids?" Toph asked.

The Prince nodded.

"How close?" Katara was trying to get to know him better.

He was quiet for a moment, but answered truthfully, "We were best friends. We did everything together and told each other everything."

"What happened?"

He hesitated again, "I'm not sure, one day we were fine and then next, she was different. Something in her died…like someone put out that thing, that spark that made her Azula – that made her my baby sister. And she just drifted away from me," he said sadly.

Memories of his childhood rushed through his head and tears prickled his eyes. They were silent for a moment. Katara was the first to speak.

"So, what's this stuff about a bracelet? Is it important to her like my mother's necklace is important to me?"

"Quite similar." They waited for him to continue. "I know I would be attached to it if it were mine."

"Um…explain please," Toph requested.

Zuko smirked again, but this time at himself for not realizing that neither of the girls had grown up with him and they had no idea what he was talking about.

"Well, when Azula was almost five she got really sick. The doctors said that she was going to die. Back then, we were best friends, so I was really upset. In the Fire Nation, people give each other amber bracelets for good health and I knew she really wanted one before she got sick. Neither of us believed in the suspicion of them really bringing good health, but she wanted one anyway. I had gone and gotten one for her for her fifth birthday, but I gave it to her early when we found out she was on what the doctors said was going to be her last day. But when I slipped it on her wrist, she kinda died. I was the only one in the room and I just burst into tears. But then, the bracelet kinda lit up for a second and she woke up again and we knew she was going to be ok. And she got better really quick after that. She never took that bracelet off as far as I know. It saved her life."

Everyone was silent for a moment. They were all fairly shocked by this news.

"So, it would be pretty special to her then," Katara said. The Prince nodded. They smiled at each other.

* * *

Azula was dreaming again.

Shang held her tightly in his arms, his hot breath on her neck. She squirmed.

"Let me go!" she was begging, trying to break free of him. But it was no use. He wouldn't let her go.

He pushed her down on a couch and undid her dress, letting his fingers wander around where he felt he hadn't explored enough. Azula had tears streaming down her face. She hated this. She hated him. She hated what he did to her. This wasn't fair. It made her feel sick.

"No..." she begged as he pulled her closer, violently forcing himself upon her, causing her pain and mental and emotional scars. She would never forgive him for this. Never.

"Shush now, darling," he cooed sweetly into her ear. His sugary voice was like poison and she begged him to just leave. But he wouldn't leave without getting what he wanted. And that was what came next.

"No... please... s-stop... ugh..." Azula squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to block out the pain she was in as he raped her. His coarse lips traced kisses down her neck. "Please... you're hurting me..."

"Shhh!" He kissed her lips. She tried to turn away. But he wouldn't give up on her. He forced his tongue into her mouth and made sure he enjoyed it, no matter how much she hated it.

There were footsteps. Someone was coming. Shang got off her and they both scrambled to put their clothes on. Azula wiped the tears away from her eyes, and as soon as the cleaning maid trotted in, Azula left the room.

She ran down a corridor, towards her room. A hooded figure was chasing her. Her brother's massacred face was visible each time they passed by a source of light.

She reached her bedroom door and swung it open. She raced inside and slammed it shut behind her. But Zuko was already inside.

The Prince put a hand around her throat and pinned her to the wall.

"YOU KILLED ME!!!"

"Zuko, please…" she choked.

"WHY?! I SAVED YOUR LIFE AND YOU KILLED ME!!!"

"I'm sorry, I love you. Please forgive me…"

And she was in his arms again, wearing her wedding dress. She was bleeding, dying, just as she had been in a previous dream. Her brother slipped the amber bracelet around her left wrist as he cried over her.

She let out a breath and fell limp in his arms. But this time, her bracelet did nothing. It was too late. In her head, all she could hear was her own screams and the evil laughs of her father and Shang.

* * *

"So, what do you want to talk about now?" Toph asked.

"Dunno," was Zuko's reply.

"I know! Let's play a game!" Katara suggested.

"What kind of game?" the Prince cocked his eyebrow.

"Um… how about…Truth or Dare?!"

"Yes! I have things ready for you two, so I'm going first!" Toph announced.

"But –"

"Katara, truth or dare?"

She thought for a moment, "Truth."

"Ok, have you and Zuko kissed yet?" she asked eagerly.

Katara sighed, "No."

"WHAT?! Jeez, you two! Alright, Zuko, truth or dare?"

"Dare," the firebender chose.

"I dare you to kiss Katara." The blind earthbender kept her voice steady, but couldn't keep the grin off her face.

He sighed, "Of course you're gonna want me to do that." He stood up and sat back down next to his girlfriend.

The waterbender was blushing madly as she turned to face him.

"You do realize that this does _not_ count as our first kiss, right? I mean, it's not even the slightest bit romantic!" Katara giggled.

"Yea, but hey, the only one watching is Toph and she can't see. Anyway, she already knows we're together. We could just pretend that she's not there…"

His hand rested on top of hers as their faces drifted closer. They shut their eyes.

A bloodcurdling scream rented the air and all three teenagers jumped.

They looked to Azula; it had been her that had screamed. She was sitting up, but she was curled up in a ball with her hands over her head. She was breathing frantically and she had tears pouring from her eyes.

"Don't let me die… I'm sorry… don't let me go… I need you…" she wailed.

Zuko quickly came to kneel in front of her.

"What's wrong?!" He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to stop her from shaking.

She leaned onto him and put her head on his shoulder. She sobbed into it, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… don't let me go…" Azula sobbed the same words over and over again.

Aang and Sokka woke up to the noise.

"What's going on?" Sokka groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Azula just woke up screaming and crying. I think she had a nightmare," Katara explained.

"Sh, sh, it's ok, Lala, you're alright. It was just a dream. I'm here, I'm here," Zuko assured her as he rubbed her back.

Iroh and Haru were awake now. The old general was at his niece and nephew's side in an instant.

"What happened?!"

"She had a nightmare, woke up screaming and crying and woke up nearly the whole campsite."

Teo and The Duke sat up and looked around in confusion.

"Are we being attacked again?" they mumbled.

"Ok, the _whole _campsite," Toph corrected herself.

"Sh, sh, calm down, you're ok."

"Don't let him kill me… I wanna stay with you… don't let me go…"

The Prince rocked gently back and forth with his sister and he pulled her up closer to his chest.

Katara reached forward to help calm her but Iroh held her back. "Don't. Zuko's the only one who's ever been able to calm her after serious nightmares like this. But I haven't known her to have a nightmare since she was six. Let him handle it."

Katara nodded.

The Princess was still crying and Zuko's shoulder was soaked in her tears.

"Ok, everyone try and get back to sleep; Zuko can handle his sister," Iroh instructed.

The boy's all lay down again and fell back to sleep in seconds.

Iroh, Toph and Katara sat near Zuko and Azula. They watched as Azula tried to calm down.

"Do you wanna tell me what happened?" he whispered into her hair.

She shook her head.

"Do you wanna try and go back to sleep?"

She shook her head again. Azula wrapped her arms around her brother and calmed herself down enough so that her crying wasn't so audible.

"You're sure you don't wanna talk?"

"I'm… sure…"

"Do you want me to stay up with you?"

The Fire Princess nodded and clung tighter to her brother. He hugged her back and remembered how it use to be when they were best friends. He remembered how he had done this with her whenever she had a bad nightmare. She'd cry for as long as she needed to and when she was ready to sleep, they would curl up together and drift off.

"Will you be alright with her?" Katara yawned.

The Prince nodded. Katara, Toph and Iroh all went to their sleeping bags and lay down. After a few more minutes, they were asleep.

"Zuko," the Princess whispered. "San I sleep with you tonight?"

"Ok," he agreed without really thinking properly. "Of course you can."

They both lay down on Azula's sleeping bag and drifted off.

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**No! I am NOT pairing Zuko and Azula! It's just sibling affection. **

**So, what did you all think? Good? Bad? Ok? Lobster? Lol, sorry, Pedro watches too much abridged series...**

**Just tell me if you enjoyed reading it as much as I liked writing it. And that's heaps!**

**Oh and did I mention, JOIN TEAM ZUTARA?!**


	14. The Prodigy Master

**Ok, I know the title probably gives away the contents of this chapter, but I don't care. I'm proud of myself. **

**You all know the drill! Read! Review! ENJOY! :D**

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**14. The Prodigy Master**

When Zuko woke up, his sister wasn't in his arms. He sat up and looked around. It was almost sunrise and as he looked around, he could see that Azula and Katara were already awake and making breakfast together. Everyone else was still asleep.

The Prince got up and walked over to them and sat down with them. They were whispering to each other when he approached, but fell silent immediately. He cocked his eyebrow as they tried desperately not to giggle.

"Well, good morning," he greeted them.

His little sister and his girlfriend burst out laughing and they doubled over as they tried and failed to shut each other up. The Prince looked between them in confusion and backed away a few meters. Neither of the girls could stop laughing for five minutes.

When they calmed down, they sighed.

"Good morning, Zuko," Katara smiled.

"Hello, Zuzu dearest!"

They started laughing again and this time the Prince couldn't help but join in. When they all finally stopped, Zuko sat down with them.

"So, what were you talking about before I came over?"

"You," both girls giggled.

Zuko raised his eyebrow further.

"I do hope it was all good." Both girls nodded to assure him. "What about me were you talking about, exactly?"

Azula and Katara gave each other side long glances.

"Your love life," the Princess whispered.

Katara cleared her throat loudly, "_Our _love life."

Azula nodded in acceptance to the correction and slowly failed to suppress a smile. Zuko looked between them in a mixture of fright and curiosity. Katara and the Fire Princess started laughing again, but this time the Prince pressed on.

"_What _about my… our love life, were you discussing?"

"I'm just helping your girlfriend get to know you."

"Wait, Katara you _told_ Azula we are together?!"

The waterbender shook her head, "Apparently, it's completely obvious to her because she has nothing better to do than watch you."

"True," his little sister agreed.

"You know, Azula, you really aren't all that bad when you're not trying to kill us."

The Princess grinned at Katara, "Thanks."

"What did you say about me?" The question was directed at the Fire Princess.

"Oh, don't worry, I only told her how we use to play and do everything together," she told him.

"I like the story where you push Mai into the turtle-duck pond," Katara giggled.

Prince Zuko blushed deeply as he remembered the day, but he couldn't keep a smile off his face for long.

"Ok, we're done here," Azula changed the subject.

Katara stood up at her full height and took in a deep breath.

"BREAKFAST!!!"

Everyone who was still asleep jumped up and Sokka raced to his sisters side, eyes bright and eager.

"Ok, where's my best friend?"

The water girl rolled her eyes, "Do you ever think of anything other than your stomach?"

"Hey, you're the one who called breakfast. I was asleep. And I think of plenty of other things!"

"Like…?" Azula asked.

"Sleep, fighting, girls –"

"Wait, what was that?" Zuko pretended to be shocked.

"_Girls._"

"Which girls, Snoozle?" Toph asked as she battered her lashes.

"I… uh…"

"Suki?" Katara asked gently. "Yue?"

Sokka nodded sadly and no one laughed. They seemed to all feel his pain and remember his first girlfriend and his most recent whose condition and whereabouts were unknown to them.

Sokka missed Suki so much. He wanted to see her so badly. He hoped and prayed that she was alright. He secretly worried for her more and more each day.

Tears stung at the back of his eyes and everyone could tell he was fighting to keep them back. The look in his eyes made Azula feel guilty. She knew it was her fault the Sokka didn't know where Suki was. She almost said that she was sorry, but she bit the words back at the last moment. For some reason, saying them just didn't feel right.

Everyone sat around the campfire and Katara dished out and served breakfast. They ate in an awkward silence. Once everyone had finished breakfast, Aang piped up.

"So, what should we do today?"

"I was talking with Mr. Iroh last night," Haru began. "Today, me, The Duke and Toph are going to sneak into the city together and gather as much information as we can on this guard-free day coming up tomorrow."

"Sounds good. What should the rest of us do?"

"Well, we could train. Sokka and Teo are pretty good with maps, so they could work on an invasion plan while the rest of us train you, Aang." Katara suggested.

"You'll have to miss earthbending training until I'm back, Twinkletoes," Toph said.

"That's ok. With Uncle around, he can have twice as much firebending training!" Zuko announced enthusiastically. Iroh nodded.

"Ok, we'll head off now then," The Duke decided for his party. They got up and disappeared.

"Ok, Sokka, you and I should start with that mapping straight away." The Water Tribe boy nodded to Teo and went to retrieve the mystery map from his bag. He pulled it out and Zuko saw his sister's face light up for a moment. She eyed the map and smiled.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked coldly.

Her smile vanished as she looked at her brother. "I-I… um…"

"Hey, Zuko!" Aang called to his firebending master. "C'mon! You're uncle just agreed to try and teach us lightning!"

"Maybe you'll get it this time, my Nephew!" Iroh grinned.

"Oh, um…I- I dunno…"

"Oh, go on Zuko! Let Uncle try and teach you," Azula urged.

"He tried to; I can't do it," he mumbled.

"That's bull! You're my brother, I know you well enough to know that you have the capability of becoming a prodigy; it's in your blood! You just need to learn some patients. I mean, I didn't get to where I'm at without a struggle! It took me two months to be able to produce a blue flame with constant practice and two _years_ to learn how to control it properly!" She clapped her hand to her mouth – she had never admitted to anyone that she had struggled with learning the blue flame so much.

"Your sister is right; no one can master it just like that. No one can get it that easily."

"And she's right when she says you're capable and yea, you do need to learn to be more patient."

The Fire Prince sighed, "Fine."

He stood up and went with the Avatar and his uncle to an unoccupied area. They cleared away as many sticks and twigs and leaves as they could before they took their stances.

Azula and Katara sat and watched.

"First thing to remember is that fire comes from the breath, not the muscle. To produce lightning, you need to clear yourself of all emotions, especially negative emotions," Iroh began.

He took a deep breath and gave a demonstration. Blue lightning shot up into the air. Aang watched in awe and Zuko tried to remember his uncle's exact moves.

"Is your mind clear, Young Avatar?"

"I'm ready," he nodded.

Aang followed Iroh's moves as they ran through it together. He followed the man's stances and hand movements, but as they pressed their fingers together and lunged forward, Iroh shot lightning, but there was an explosion in front of Aang and he was blown backwards.

He sat up in disappointment and confusion.

"What happened?"

"Do not worry, Aang. For some, it is almost impossible to clear themselves of emotions."

"Don't worry, Aang. That's what happens to me every time."

"Prince Zuko, it is your turn," his uncle gestured.

"Uncle, I can't –"

"Zuko! Was it not you who Uncle gave that dagger with _'Never give up without a fight'_ written on it?" the Princess enquired.

"I…" Zuko sighed, he couldn't argue with that.

He got into his stance and repeated his uncle's movements. Like Aang, it blew up in his face and he was blown backwards. He growled in frustration.

"Like I said; it takes ages to do so much as produce a blue flame, mastering it to boot!"

He huffed and stood up again. He tried again, but once again, he was blown backwards.

"I don't get it! What am I doing wrong?!"

He got up again and tried again, but he maintained the same result.

Azula saw that everyone was occupied with either watching or doing something. She scanned her surroundings and her eyes came to rest on a set of keys that were half hanging out of her brother's bag. She scooted over to it and took them. The Princess unlocked herself with ease and took off her bracelet. She put everything back in her brother's bag. She jumped up and ran over to help Zuko up; he had been blown backwards yet again.

"Hey, who unchained you?!" he asked, slightly panicked.

"Just a tip for the future; unless you want your prisoners to escape, make sure someone's watching them at all times and keep the keys hidden so only you know where they are, instead of half hanging out of your bag."

She stood between her older brother and the young Avatar and took a stance. She shot powerful blue lightning into the air and then straightened up again.

"Do either of you know what you are doing wrong?" she asked as she took a step forward and turned to face them.

Both boys shook their heads.

She turned to her uncle, "Do you know what they are doing wrong?"

"They are letting their emotions come through."

The Princess nodded in agreement and faced away from the boys again.

"Both of you, take your stances again," she instructed.

The boys obeyed.

"Wider," she said without looking back.

Zuko and Aang parted their feet further.

"Aang, straighten your back, Zuko, wider."

"But you're not even –"

"Wider!"

The Prince sighed and widened his stance further.

"My Uncle told you to clear your mind of all emotion. Do it. The best way is to take deep breaths."

The beginners took three deep breaths and awaited the Princess's next instruction, slightly uncertain that this was safe.

"Are you ready?" she turned to face them. She had a serious look on her face.

They nodded. She smiled; it was one of those smiles she used when something was going her way in a fight. They had seen that smile before.

"Good."

She turned away from them again and took one deep breath. As quick as she could, she shot lightning up into the sky. Aang and Zuko copied her movements when she turned back to face them again, but once again, it blew up in their faces and sent them backwards.

They sat up and looked at the Princess in annoyance. What was she playing at? Was she trying to teach them or humiliate them? Both boys suspected the later.

She shook her head, "Aang, come here."

The monk raised and eyebrow as he obeyed. She whispered into is ear, "Aang, I spent ages trying to figure out what I was doing wrong when I was a beginner; no one would tell me and it took me two months to figure it out. It was emotion. I thought I had cleared myself, but I was wrong. When you actually go through the movements, you frown, never mind if it's in concentration or frustration, its still emotion. Don't frown." She narrowed her eyes at him, but her lips still held that playful, satisfied smile.

He nodded and went back to stand by Zuko again.

"Take your stances."

They obeyed. She turned away and gave another demonstration. Azula turned back to them when she was done. They tried to mimic her moves and this time, Aang kept his face straight and lightning poured through his fingertips and into the sky. Zuko, however, was pushed backwards by and explosion.

"NOT FAIR! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!"

"You're not keeping yourself emotion free while you are performing. You frown and get angry and frustrated. That's why you can't do it. Don't frown or try to concentrate and you'll get it."

Azula turned and shot lightning into the air once more.

"Go again," she told her brother calmly.

He took several deep breaths before he started. And a powerful bolt of lightning protruded from his fingertips. He was awestruck. He had never thought he would master the art of prodigy bending.

_You're not a master yet,_ he reminded himself. But he didn't care. The Fire Prince was over the moon. He turned to his little sister and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you so much!"

"Easy, big brother!" she patted his back.

He hugged her tighter and they could both feel the stares of Iroh, Katara and Aang on them.

"Hey, guys. They sent me back to get a map that we forgot," Toph greeted everyone as she appeared. But she stopped in shock when she saw – through her feet – the sight of Zuko and Azula, hugging joyfully.

She hadn't been too worried about last night because people naturally comfort each other when they have nightmares that leave them in a hysterical state. But this… this unsettled Toph.

**

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Dun-Dun! Toph isn't too happy. Can anyone chance a guess why? I'll give you kudos in the next chapter if you guess it right.

O**k, who thinks that Azula can almost officially call herself part of the GAang? Let me know in your reviews. **

**And last off; WOOT! WOOT! Zuko and Aang are on lightning! **

**Ok, join Team Zutara if you haven't already and please review this chapter. **

**Everyone keep and eye out for my CHRISTMAS SPECIAL which I will be airing on ****Christmas Eve****. Of course, that's Christmas Eve where I live in Aus, so that might be a day ahead of you... or behind or something. So yea, go read and review that when it's up! :D**


	15. Little Sisters

**Sorry for having this up so late. Thanks for all waiting. Heads up, this is more of a filler chapter, but the story needs it. Yes, I know it's really cheesy, but I still think it's good.**

**KUDOS! Thank you to mT for guessing why Toph wasn't too happy at the end of last chapter. Mate, you were right and here is where it is revealed!**

**Enjoy, R&R.**

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**15. Little Sisters**

After a long day and a lot of hard work, Toph and the boys had returned from their mission, only to reveal that the guard-free day had been cancelled. Azula knew why, she just wished she could _tell_ them.

Everyone had finished eating dinner and it was dark. Aang was fast asleep after a long day's training and Iroh wasn't much different (aside from the fact that he was snoring). The Duke, Teo, Haru and Sokka had also decided that they had earned a rest and had all hit the hay as well.

Katara was cleaning up, quietly humming a tune with Azula, who had been chained up again. Although she had taught Aang and Zuko prodigy bending, they still didn't trust her completely.

Zuko was just about to slip into his sleeping bag when Toph approached him.

"Hey, Zuko," she began quietly.

"Yea?"

"Can… will you come for a walk with me? I need to talk to you."

The Fire Prince frowned slightly, but nodded and followed her away from the campsite.

"Is something wrong?" Zuko was concerned.

"I'm not sure. It's about Azula."

Zuko was interested now, "What about her?"

"Well, she's your little sister, right?" Zuko nodded. "Well, ever since you joined us, and especially since I busted you in love with Katara… I've seen you as my hero… my big brother."

Zuko already knew this and he saw the blind girl as a little sister too.

"What about it?" He was getting worried again.

"Well, you know how you think she was having a metamorphosis last night?" Zuko nodded. "Well, it looks like she's on our side now. And you've gotten really close to her again."

Toph sounded close to tears.

"Toph, what's wrong? Why are you upset?"

"Zuko, I know she's your real little sister and you love her, but if she really has changed… I still love you as if you were my big brother… would you still love me as much as you did?" Tears really were trickling down her cheeks.

"Toph, what are you talking about? Of course I'd still love you!" He knelt down in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I could never stop loving you, and even if Azula does stay with us, I wouldn't love you any less." He pulled her into a hug and held her tight. "You're a part of my family now."

The blind girl cried onto his shoulder and hugged him back.

"I'm sorry… I just don't wanna lose you."

"It's ok; you didn't do anything wrong."

"I just want someone to call family who loves me but believes in me and doesn't think I'm weak just because I'm blind! And you were the first and best person I've ever felt like this for."

"Other than Azula and since we stopped being best friends, you're the first person I've loved like a sister. I love you and I'd die for you."

* * *

"Where are Toph and Zuko?" Katara asked.

Azula shrugged, "I saw them go off that way. I'll go and find them."

Katara nodded and the Princess stumbled away in her chains. She didn't need to walk far. Azula heard someone sobbing. She headed quietly towards the sound.

Zuko and Toph were holding each other tightly and Toph was crying onto his shoulder. He rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Would-would you really die for me?"

"Of course I would. I love you as if you have always been my little sister," the Prince whispered.

Azula watched as the blind girl cried.

"Why would you have thought I would stop loving you? Why did you think I would have stopped seeing you as a little sister?"

The Fire Princess was very interested in this conversation.

_Since when did Zuko see her as a little sister? Why? Has he tried to replace me?_

"I was just scared that if you got your real little sister back, you'd forget about me and replace me," she sobbed.

"There is no way I could replace you! I could never replace Azula after we were best friends for so long either, but I could still have another little sister. There will always be a part of me that loves Azula and that part of me will always welcome her back with open arms if she wants to undo her wrongs. Even if she did come back to me, you would both be my little sisters and I wouldn't love one of you more than the other or like one of you more."

Toph wiped tears from her unseeing eyes and looked up at the Prince.

"How far would you go to keep Azula safe?"

The Fire Princess's blood froze. She had dreaded finding out the answer to this question for so long because she was afraid that he'd say he wouldn't go far at all.

"Toph, if Azula truly is coming back to me, then just like you, I'd die for her."

Princess Azula's heart leapt and she almost cried out in joy. Tears prickled her eyes and ran down her cheeks.

_He still loves me, he loves me, he cares for me!_

Azula ran from the area as quickly and as quietly as she could before she began to sob. Once she was a fair while away from them, she fell to her knees and her whole body shook with sobs of joy and laughter at herself for being so sure that he wouldn't love her again.

She cried with a smile on her face for five minutes. When she calmed down she headed back for the campsite.

* * *

Toph had finished crying and she looked up at the Prince.

"Thank you, Zuko. You're the best big brother in the world. I hope Azula will see it."

"I hope she does too," he whispered as he took her hand.

They walked back to the campsite like that.

* * *

Katara almost gasped when the Fire Princess returned to the campsite. Tears had traced her cheeks and her eyes were red from crying. But she had a smile spread across her face and she seemed to be bouncing with joy.

"Azula…?"

"They should be back soon," the Princess informed the waterbender.

"Are you feeling –"

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight!" she announced cheerfully.

Before Katara could say anything more, Azula had slipped into her sleeping bag and Toph and Zuko walked into the campsite. They both looked like they had been crying, but they both wore smiles.

"What –?"

"I'm going to bed!" Toph cut across the waterbender.

"But –"

"Goodnight!" Toph lay down in her sleeping bag.

"Zuko, what's –"

"I'm going to bed as well. Goodnight, Katara!" Zuko pecked her lightly on the cheek and slipped into his sleeping bag, all the while blushing at his actions towards the girl. It took a moment for Katara to register what he had just done.

_Well, someone's in a good mood. But why?_

Katara sighed and gave up; she was too tired to think or nag the answer out of anyone. She slipped into her sleeping bag and fell asleep.

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**Ok guys, this is probably the shortest chapter I'll write for this story... audible gasp, this so isn't like me to write something this short and with the characters so OOC... please excuse the OOC-ness both of the characters and myself... I need sleep.**

**Alright, review and I hope you enjoyed that. Once again, thank you mT for guessing why Toph was upset. **

**Ok, now go and review… AND JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!!!**


	16. Secrets

**Yes, mT, you did guess the sibling interaction thing. Well done :D**

**Right! You all know the drill from here, per usual – Read, review and ENJOY!**

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**16. Secrets**

The day passed fairly similar to the previous. The Duke, Haru and Toph went into the city to gather up information, Sokka and Teo went over plans for an invasion, keeping in mind it might not be a guard free day after all and it wasn't the present day as they had originally thought. Aang had training with Zuko and Iroh, and Katara did some waterbending with him. Azula got up after a while and got her brother to unchain her so she could give him and Aang another prodigy lesson. Both boys were improving quickly since they had learnt Azula's secret.

The boys and Toph returned in the early evening, just after sunset and just in time for dinner. They all sat around the campfire and ate. Sokka was the first one finished.

"Well, it's been a long day. I'm gonna hit the hay," he yawned as he stretched. "But I think I'll go for a walk first."

"You can go for a walk, but you can't go to bed," Zuko started. "It's your turn to watch Azula."

"WHAT?! But I wanna go to bed! Anyway, who's watched her every other night?" Sokka demanded.

Zuko, Toph and Katara smirked; this was their prank. Make Sokka stay up all night, thinking that he has to watch Azula. Even Azula knew what they were up to, but she said nothing.

"We've pretty much all had a turn, right?" Zuko looked around. Toph and Katara nodded. Aang slowly agreed with Iroh, Haru, The Duke and Teo when they got what was going on.

"But I want to go for a walk!" Sokka complained.

"Then take her with you; it's your turn to watch her," Zuko told him.

The Water Warrior rolled his eyes and sighed, "Fine." He was too tired to argue with the Fire Prince, who had turned back to his dinner and continued eating.

Sokka stood up and walked grumpily over to where the prisoner sat on her sleeping bag, where she had been listening to the whole thing. She hadn't been hungry and hadn't joined them for dinner by the campfire.

"What do you want?" she asked, sarcastically, because of the displeased look on his face as he approached.

"Your brother says that it's my turn to watch you, but I wanna go for a walk. So you have to come with me," he said bluntly.

Azula sighed and rolled her eyes, "Can you help me up?"

"Fine," Sokka grumbled as he held out his hands and helped her to her feet.

The Princess stumbled as she followed the water boy out of the campsite. They walked through the trees, towards the sound of running water in a stream.

When they reached it, Sokka sat down on a rocky ledge with a huff. Azula attempted to neatly sit next to him, but slipped a little and fell forwards. But Sokka caught her before she could fall face first into the merrily churning liquid and gently placed her on the ledge beside him.

_Jeez, Ty Lee was right; this guy really is a cutie,_ she mentally slapped herself for thinking it.

_What are you doing?!_

_I-I dunno. Being a girl? Isn't it natural for me to think like this about a guy?_ She asked herself nervously.

Both of them blushed deeply as they realized how close they were sitting.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she glanced at him.

_Stop thinking he's cute! Stop thinking he's cute!_

Sokka gazed up at the moon. He was silent and deep in thought and Princess Azula knew he was in a bad mood from the look in his eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked. She received no reply. "Did my brother get you in a bad mood by making you baby sit me?" she laughed lightly and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It quickly disappeared as his face became stony and solid again.

_What's up his tree?_

The Princess was confused and when she got confused like this, _she _got huffy.

"Fine then," she faced away from him and attempted to fold her arms over her chest. But it didn't work, with the chains still around her wrists. After a long moment, the water boy had had enough.

"What did you do to her?!" he snapped, causing the Fire Princess to jump.

"What did I do to who?" she asked, hiding her interest.

"Suki! What did you do with Suki?!"

"Wait, the Kyoshi Warrior?"

"YES!" Sokka yelled angrily, and Azula worried that he would get violent.

_Please, don't be like Shang_.

"Oh, I-I didn't do anything to her. She and the other Kyoshi Warriors are in a prison cell near the palace. They're all fine," she assured him.

Sokka was surprised to hear her stutter, but took in what she said without showing it. He took in a deep breath and calmed down.

Azula noted his actions, "Why are you so protective of her?" she asked a little coldly.

"She… she's my girlfriend," he hesitated to answer.

Princess Azula felt a pang of guilt hit her. She had known that she meant something to him, but she hadn't known _that _much. But there was something else; jealously.

_Hey, why am I jealous?!_

_Because you like him._

_WHAT?! That's ridiculous!_

_Why else would you be jealous then? If you can think of another explanation, then I'd like to hear it!_

Azula was seriously stumped on this one. There was only one thing she could think of to explain her jealousy, and that would mean agreeing that she _did_ like Sokka, more than just a friend.

She sighed inwardly in frustration then turned back to him.

"You seem to be a lot more overprotective with her than most boyfriends are. Why is that?" She hid the jealously in her voice.

Once again, Sokka hesitated to answer, "I'm like that because… I lost my first girlfriend and I don't think I could bear to lose Suki too."

Azula's insides filled with sympathy for the boy as he faced her properly.

"Why do you suddenly seem so concerned? And why haven't you tried to escape the whole time you've been with us?! And why did you teach Aang and Zuko prodigy firebending?! Since we've captured you, you've seemed… different." His voice rose higher on each question and then dropped when he reached his last statement.

Azula sat still as she looked into his deep blue, questioning eyes.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them," she said softly, as she felt her face come closer to his and his do the same for hers.

They drifted together slowly and Azula shut her eyes, she knew that he was doing the same. And then it happened, his lips brushed hers, just lightly, and it felt like magic. He pulled away from her slightly, but she moved in and gently pressed her lips back to his.

And they were kissing. It wasn't like her first kiss; he wasn't forcing her like Shang always did. And it wasn't like at Ember Island when she had kissed Chang. This was different – that had only been a crush – but this… was this love? Whatever it was, it made the Princess feel a way she had never felt before and it felt really, really good. She wanted to scream in joy but she wanted to cry and run away at the same time. But the strange mixture of emotions made her feel… like she could melt.

Suddenly, Sokka pulled away and she realized and remembered that he didn't know she was on his side; he still viewed her as the enemy.

_STUPID! _She mentally slapped herself again as she straightened up.

They sat in an awkward silence for a while and when they spoke next they started at the same time.

"Azula –"

"Sokka –"

"– I'm sorry, I shouldn't –"

"– have done that, I'm –"

"– really sorry, I don't –"

"– know what I was thinking." They both stopped short, realizing their sameness in speech. They looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry, I mean, I just kissed you! How must you feel?! I mean, you're the Fire Nation's Princess and I'm… well, I'm just a lowly Southern Water Tribe peasant! And I just kissed you! I mean, that's STUPID!!!" Sokka cursed his actions.

"I kissed you too, I'm sorry. I mean, how must you feel? Kissed by a Princess?!" She forced a laugh that he saw right through.

"Actually, I have been kissed by a Princess before. My first girlfriend, Princess Yue. We kissed. But… then she turned into the moon and I had to let go of her and move on."

"Oh, I'm sorry you lost her." Azula reached out a hand to put on his shoulder, but he pushed it away roughly.

"Don't pity me! It wouldn't have worked out between us anyway; she was in an arranged marriage," he explained, harsher than necessary.

"Arranged marriage? And then you lost her? I know how she felt, and I know how you feel."

Sokka stood up angrily. "NO YOU DON'T! You have NO idea how she felt! And the guy she was going to marry, she HATED! And you don't know the first thing about losing someone close to you!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"WHAT?!" She stood up as well. "I don't know?! If I don't know, then why the hell am_ I_ wearing this Spirits damned engagement necklace?!" She pulled down the collar of her shirt (she had removed her armor earlier to make it easier to move and more comfortable) to reveal the necklace. "Why is my father putting me in an arranged marriage, with some JERK that he bloody well knows that I hate?! And you have no idea who I've lost! In three days, I lost my cousin, my mother and my grandfather!" she shouted, as tears streaked down her face. She took in a deep breath to calm herself. "When I was six-years-old, I realized that the only reason my dad loved me was because I was a prodigy. So I tried to change myself. I stopped being friendly and sisterly to Zuko and we stopped being best friends. I hid as much emotion as I possibly could and it seemed that my father started to love me more. But I wasn't friends with Zuko anymore, and when my mother saw the changes, Zuko became the golden child in her eyes. To her, I had become a monster. And it was true; I had turned myself into a monster. And I could never tell her that I still loved her, because Dad only saw love as weakness. And then she left, three days after we found out that our cousin, Lu Ten, had died in the war and the same night my grandfather passed away. And I never got to tell her… and I never had the guts to tell Zuko that I still love him too… and that he's the best big brother in the world and I want him to be my best friend again. And now it's too late, because… because even if I do tell him, he'll never believe me and he'll tell me how much he _hate_ me!" she sobbed and fell to her knees.

Sokka overcame the state of shock her words had left him in and knelt down in front of her and wrapped his arms around her. She cried onto his shoulder and he rubbed her back and rocked backwards and forwards.

After a moment, the Princess suddenly jumped up as she realized how much she had just revealed to him. It was a dangerous amount of information.

"I have to go," she clumsily got up and ran into the trees. She needed to get away from him.

* * *

Sokka watched as she left.

_What just happened?!_

_I need to get Zuko to talk to her._

He got up and sprinted back towards the campsite.

* * *

Azula stumbled as she ran through the trees. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to disappear from this cruel world and curl up in a hole and die.

She toppled over and landed on a rocky riverbank. She sat up and lent against a rock. Her whole body shook with sobs as she thought.

_How much did I just tell him? What did I just do? Why is my life so fucked up?! _Azula couldn't understand how life could be so cruel and horrible to her. Was there any comfort and love in this world for her? _Yes, there is._ She remembered how Zuko had taken care of her after she had had a bad dream and what he had said to Toph the previous night. And she remembered how Sokka had comforted her just now, and they had kissed!

There was still love and comfort. She breathed in and out to calm herself. Knowing that someone was there for her made her feel… warm inside.

She sat herself in the most comfortable position she could find and shut her eyes. She still needed to calm down. She began to meditate.

* * *

Sokka was panting as he reentered the campsite. The Duke, Teo and Haru were already asleep and Aang was just about to slip into his sleeping bag. The others were deep in conversation around the campfire as the Water Warrior ran up to them.

"Hey, Sokka. HEY, WHERE'S AZULA?!" Zuko shouted in panic as he noted his little sister's absents.

"Don't worry – you guys keep talking!" he told Iroh, Toph and his sister. He dropped his voice so that only Zuko could hear him. "You need to talk to Azula."

"What? Why?" Zuko was confused and concerned.

"She just broke down, we went and sat by the stream and then I started yelling at her to tell me what she had done with Suki –"

"What? Why?"

"Suki, she's my girlfriend and Azula captured her. Anyways, so we got into a fight and she told me… stuff, and it was all bad and she ran off crying. I can tell she isn't faking, she's really hurt and she needs you to get her to talk to you. I don't wanna tell you what she said, but you do need to know. She went that way!" Sokka pointed in the direction he had come from.

"Thanks, Sokka." The Fire Prince stood up and disappeared to find his little sister in the forest.

* * *

The Princess was distracted as she meditated. She was worried.

_What if Sokka tells Zuko what I said?! Then what would happen?! _

She was seriously scared. _What would I say to him? How much should I tell him? Would I tell him anything?_

Azula highly doubted she would be able to tell her brother. She sighed in frustration and continued to meditate.

* * *

Zuko walked through the trees on his own. He scanned his surroundings for his little sister and listened for the rattling of her chains or perhaps a sob, but the only thing that could be heard was the trickling of water.

_Sokka said they had sat by a stream…_

He headed towards the sound of the stream and walked out onto the small rocky ledge. He looked around, but there was no sign of life. But going back into the trees, a little further away, was a path of destruction that had been made by someone running away carelessly. He sighed and followed it, knowing his sister was the one responsible for it. He walked for a few minutes until he came to a river bank.

And there she was, sitting and meditating silently with her eyes closed. As quietly as he could, he crept over to where she sat and sat next to her. He looked at her face while she had her eyes shut and saw the paths her tears had taken down her cheeks until they had fallen. He listened to her breathing and noticed it was slightly ragged.

_She really did break down,_ he thought in a mixture of amazement and concern.

"I know you're there," she whispered, breaking the silence.

"What happened? What's wrong?" he asked gently and her face hardened in hesitation. "It's ok, you can tell me anything; I'm your brother."

Azula sighed and opened her eyes. She didn't look at him and focused forward, out onto the river.

"What happened?" he asked again.

She stayed silent for a moment. Zuko reached out with one hand and placed it on he shoulder. He put his other hand over both of hers, which were folded in her lap, and he squeezed them gently.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Azula bit her bottom lip and a few more tears streaked their way down her already tear-stained cheeks. She shook her head in response.

"No, I don't want to talk about it," she choked as she tried to hold back sobs.

"That's fine," Zuko whispered and he pulled her into a hug. Her head rested on his chest as she cried. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

The Fire Princess soaked her brother in her tears for the hour that followed as they sat by the river, all on their own.

* * *

Katara, Toph and Iroh had finished their conversation and Iroh had decided to call it a night. Katara sat with her brother and Toph by the campfire. Sokka was deep in thought when his sister spoke.

"So… what was all that about Azula? Why didn't she come back with you? Why did Zuko go looking for her?"

"She…" Sokka hesitated. "She just really needs to tell him something. She just need some brother sister time with him to talk to him about something… alone."

"Why does she need to talk to Zuko? What's wrong with her?" Toph asked.

"She… she just needs to, ok?! She needs to talk to Zuko about something and Zuko really does need to be told about it." The Water Tribesman didn't want to tell the girls' everything that had happened between them and he didn't want to repeat what the Princess had said.

He looked at the blind earthbender; she had her eyebrows raised and he knew she knew he wasn't telling them the full story. The young girl opened her mouth to speak, but Sokka cut her off. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

He got up and walked over to his sleeping bag and wriggled into it. But Sokka couldn't sleep. He lay awake, thinking about what he had just learnt from the Fire Princess and everything that had just happened between them.

_Why would she be on her father's side if he makes her do horrible things that she hates doing? How did she just suddenly fall to pieces in tears like that? Was it what I said? Has she ever told anyone else how she feels or has this been kept bottled up inside her forever? Is she coming clean with Zuko right now? _Sokka wasn't sure why, but he really hoped she would tell her older brother and the Fire Prince would understand her and comfort her. He wanted Azula to be happy.

_Why should it matter to me how she feels?!_

_Because you care about her, Stupid!_

_What?! I don't care about __**her**__! She's the enemy!_

_Is she really? Anyway, she's still human, and so are you. You are both capable of loving and being loved. Admit it; you're in love with her! I mean, c'mon! You kissed her!_

_It was one of those 'that moment' things!_

_It's always a 'that moment' thing when it first happens! And don't you tell me that you didn't enjoy it! You enjoyed it and you now it! And so did she! You know she liked it!_

_Oh, my Gods! I'm in love with her! I'm in love with Azula! I'm in love with the Fire Princess! I'm in love with the enemy! THAT'S REALLY BAD!_

Sokka was really scared and confused. He had just been going on about Suki and then suddenly he was in love with the girl who had captured her. Sokka almost sighed out loud. He still couldn't sleep; he wanted to stay up until Zuko and Azula got back. He lay facing away from the fire and waited.

* * *

The Fire Princess's sobs had stopped and she had stopped crying. Zuko was beginning to get frustrated by the fact that she wasn't telling him what was going on and he was starting to get really worried. He looked down at her; she was fast asleep.

_Gods, you look so much like Mum, _he noted as she snuggled in closer to him. Her arms were wrapped awkwardly around his waist because of her chains and her head rested on his shoulder.

She looked really beautiful. It made Zuko remember a time, long ago, when they had been best friends and their family was whole.

* * *

"He's keeping something from us. He's not telling us everything we should know," Toph said in a low voice, so that only Katara could hear.

"I know; I can tell," she whispered back.

"What do you think is going on? What do you think happened?"

Katara shrugged, "Dunno, but Zuko and Azula have been gone for a long time. Do you think we should go and look for them?"

"Nah, Zuko's a big boy; he can take care of himself and Azula," Toph reassured her friend.

The waterbender sighed, "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

"Same. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The two girls both got into their sleeping bags and went to sleep.

* * *

How long had it been? It must have been hours since Zuko had left the campsite. It was really late and the Prince was sure he was going to fall asleep if he didn't get up. Gently, he shook his little sister awake. Azula sat up and looked at him.

"C'mon, let's get back to the campsite before the others get worried," he said softly.

Princess Azula nodded and her brother helped her up. They slowly and silently trudged their way back towards the campsite. After a few minutes, they could see the faint glow of a campfire and Azula finally spoke.

"Thank you… for coming and making sure I was alright."

Zuko watched her for a moment in silence, "You're welcome."

With that, they stepped into the campsite.

* * *

Sokka sat up as he heard them arrive. He looked between them silently and they looked back at him. His eyes and Azula's met and he felt himself blush. She broke the eye contact as she felt her cheeks redden.

"I'm going to sleep," she announced quietly as she ambled over to her sleeping bag, next to Zuko's.

Sokka and Zuko looked silently at each other for a minute before the Prince nodded.

"Thanks, Sokka. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." The water boy lay back down and went to sleep.

Zuko went over to his sleeping bag and decided it was too warm to sleep inside it. He quietly unzipped it and spread it out.

He looked to see that Azula was falling asleep on top of her sleeping bag too. He bent down near her and gently lifted her up. She didn't bother fighting him as he lay her back down on one side of his unzipped sleeping bag.

He lay down next to her, put an arm around her and held her tight. She snuggled up to him and shut her eyes. This wasn't like the other night when she had had the dream. She wasn't scared this time. She was actually happy and so was he. They fell asleep like that for the first time in ten years.

* * *

Iroh woke with a start and almost screamed out loud.

_That was a terrible dream! No tea left in the whole world at all? That's just inhumane!_

He sighed and tried not to think about it.

The retired general looked sleepily around the campsite and when his eyes rested on his niece and nephew, he was sure he was still dreaming.

_I haven't seen them sleep together like that since they were six and seven!_ He smiled at the little scene they made for him and remembered how it had been all those years ago.

_They look so… cute._

Iroh sighed again and lay back down and shut his eyes. He had completely forgotten about his nightmare of a tea-less world. He fell asleep and his dreams were memories of a better time, when Azula and Zuko and Lu Ten all played together and their families were whole and together and full of love.

* * *

**Alright, Sokka, Azula, Zuko - Why are you guys so out of character?! Oh yea, cuz the author has an unlimited imagination, that's right. Sorry if the OOCness annoys you, but I did warn you. If you don't like Sokkla, suck it up; I listed the shippings in the first authors note. **

**Well, please read and review, and tell all of your friends to! I'm not going to update unless I get three (3) reviews! **

**BTW, JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!!!**


	17. Runaway

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. :) Virtual cookies to all of you.**

**mT: That's something we have in common - Sokkla is one of my guilty pleasures in the Avatar world. I guess Zutara is one of everyone's as well, simply because it didn't end up happening. But my other guilty hidden one (please don't kill me peoples) is Jetzula. Anyone else for them? I love 'em!**

**Well, I'd like to announce that we are past the half way mark in this story. I'm not telling you which chapter was the exact half way mark, but I've planned the story out, and we've passed it. ;) I hope you all enjoy the rest of the story. **

**BTW, parts of this chapter and the few to follow were inspired by the movie 'Moulin Rouge'. Awesome movie – watch it some time. ;)**

**So now, read, review and enjoy! Thank you!**

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* * *

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**17. Runaway**

Everyone woke early that morning. They all ate breakfast and then packed up the camp. It was time to move again and they had to be quick about it so that they didn't get caught. Everyone helped pack up, even Azula. She had been unchained for the morning to help with the preparations of the day.

As everyone moved about, Katara and Zuko couldn't help but notice the tension between their siblings.

"What's with them?" she whispered.

"Dunno, maybe it's something that she said to him last night before he came and got me," Zuko replied.

"So… what was all that about last night anyway? Sokka wouldn't tell us anything. He just said that there was something she needed to talk to you about and that you guys needed some brother sister time."

"She wouldn't tell me anything, but she had only just stopped crying when I found her. She wasn't trying to get away or anything, but yea. She had run off on Sokka. She started crying again when I asked what was up, so I didn't want to push her too hard; I know she can get really sentimental about things that make her cry. When something brings _Azula_ to tears it, means it's really big. So now I'm worried."

Katara nodded in acknowledgment to his explanation.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Toph appeared in front of them. "C'mon, we're ready to leave."

They both nodded as they picked up their bags and headed towards Appa where everyone else was already in his saddle. They climbed in and the bison took off.

The morning sky was clear and seemed to glitter with the many colours of the rising sun as it shone through it and bounced onto clouds and off the snow that capped some of the higher peaks in the mountain range. It was truly an amazing sight and Katara could have sworn she could have fallen in love with it if she didn't already love Zuko.

Remembering the man, she looked over to him. He was sitting in between herself and Azula. Iroh sat on his niece's other side and Toph sat to the opposite side of Katara to Zuko. Haru, The Duke and Teo were all sitting around the saddle and they made a complete circle with Haru next to Iroh, Teo next to Toph and The Duke in the middle. Aang and Sokka sat on Appa's head and navigated the bison.

They flew for about an hour before they came clear of mountains to one side of them and they could see the Fire Nation's capital city.

Zuko spotted out the palace and wondered what was going on in there at that very moment.

_I bet they're figuring out a plan to rescue Azula._

He felt himself sway slightly closer to his sister and he had to resist the urge to bring up the question he had wanted to ask her last night. He so badly wanted to know what was going on in her life that had brought her to tears. Deep down, the fact that Azula wouldn't trust him with whatever it was hurt him, but the Prince would not admit it, not even to himself.

They landed on a ledge a few minutes later. They came down from the ledge and camped inside the thick forest. Much to their delight, the undergrowth was thriving with Blaze berries. The day passed fairly similar to the previous after they had finished unpacking, only instead of training, Zuko, Aang and Iroh set off to explore the area a little. Katara and Azula stayed behind to finish setting up the campsite and make it more 'homey' as Katara called it.

They cleaned up the area a little and then started cooking while Sokka and Teo continued going over the maps. Azula wondered how much more time they could possibly need to determine a rescue route.

Zuko, Iroh and Aang returned in the afternoon for lunch and then set off in separate directions at different times to continue their exploring.

"Well, I'm going for a little bit of an explore as well. I'll be back in a few minutes," Azula whispered to Katara.

"Hey, where are you going? I don't think I can let you go alone." Katara stood to follow the Princess.

"I think you can let me take a toilet break on my own, Katara. I don't need baby sitting that much! Don't worry – I don't need any moral support either, or for anyone to hold my hand!" Azula laughed.

"Oh," Katara blushed and they both started laughing. "Off you go then."

Azula disappeared into the trees. She walked a little bit so that she was well away from the campsite before she did her business.

As she slowly headed back, she was sure she heard something rustling in the bushes behind her. She turned and looked. Nothing happened and everything went silent. She blinked and tried to ignore the heebie-jeebies it had given her, and suddenly it started again. She turned around and looked again.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she called quietly.

"Princess?" a voice spoke and it scared the life out of her for a moment.

"Who's there?" she breathed.

"It's ok, Your Majesty, it's me." A man stepped out of the bushes. He was dressed in Fire Nation armor and he looked like he had been living roughly for days. "I'm the Commander-in-training that is in your group of soldiers that you take around with you; Commander Reid."

Azula took another look at him before her heart started beating again.

"Oh, great! I was starting to think I would have to run off without help or knowing which way I was suppose to be going. Where are the other men?" she asked, putting herself back into her forced face form of a loyal Princess.

"The others are at the campsite we made half an hour ago; we're still setting up. We've been following the Avatar to try and rescue you for days, but we could never pin point where he was. I was sent out in this direction to scout the area for you or any other beings."

Azula nodded, "Go back to the campsite. Tell the others not to get too comfortable; I'll come back here tonight so meet me here, or else. We will head straight back to the others and then go home."

"But Princess, do we not want to attack the Avatar?"

"Are you questioning my leadership?"

"N-no, Ma'am."

"Good. Once again we have underestimated the Avatar and my brother and their friends. We need to get back to the city; there is some important information I need to give my father that I have learnt since I have been with the group."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty," the young commander bowed.

"I'll see you in a few hours."

They nodded and parted.

As Azula walked back in the direction of the campsite, she tried to reassure herself that this was the best way to go about things.

_I need to get away tonight. I'll tell my father false information when I get back._

_Why am I doing this? Why can't I just stay with them?_

_Because, if you stay with them then there won't be a guard-free day. They need this guard-free day to launch an invasion. You're doing this to help them. Go back and just get married to Shang so that they can have their guard-free day. _

Azula sighed, she hoped that one day she would be able to tell Zuko and the Avatar and their friends the truth about her and that they would believe her.

_Even though this will probably mean I'll be unhappily married to that jerk for the rest of my life, at least I can help put a stop to the war. At least Zuko will be able to come home. At least I'll be able to get the chance to reveal my true colours to them all after this is all over. At least I'll get the chance to tell Zuko that I love him._

Azula seriously hoped this plan worked. She needed to do this for them. She had to be brave and go through with this one last thing before she could reveal everything to them, and especially to Zuko. She would redeem herself by doing this.

Princess Azula reentered the campsite and sat back down with Katara.

"I was starting to think you had gotten lost. I was just about to come and look for you."

"Oh, you were worried about me? I feel so loved!" Azula joked and they both started laughing.

But deep down, Azula wanted to shut herself away from the rest of the world; she really had to keep telling herself over and over again that she was making the right choices by doing this.

_Maybe I should tell Zuko before I go…_

_No, if you tell him, and he believes you, then he'll try and stop you. You can't let him know. You can't let any of them know._

Katara and Azula spent the most of the rest of the day either talking about impersonal subjects or about the war. The only personal subject brought up was that of Katara's relationship with Zuko, but they didn't go into a deep discussion. Katara made sure to change the subject immediately. She didn't trust Azula enough to go into great detail about her love life, especially not with her brother.

* * *

Everyone was back at the campsite for dinner. It was eaten quickly and quietly. Toph, Haru, Teo, The Duke and Aang went to bed straight away and Iroh followed not long after.

"Katara, come for a walk with me, I wanna show you something," Zuko said quietly.

"What? Hey, why do you want to go for a walk with my sister?" Sokka raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"No, reason. I just wanna talk to her about something. And there's something I want her to see; I found it while I was wondering around earlier," Zuko explained.

"Ok, let's go!" Katara cut in before her brother could say anything more. She grabbed the Prince's arm and let him lead her out of the campsite.

"Hey!" Sokka called as they disappeared.

"Calm down, Sokka. He's not gonna eat her," Azula laughed lightly, causing the water boy to jump. He had forgotten that she was still there.

"I just find it strange that they suddenly started to hang out together a lot and now they're taking walks together," Sokka told her.

"They're allowed to be friends. I went with a walk with you last night," she reminded him.

"Yea, and remember what ended up happening? We kissed and then we started fighting and you ended up in tears!" Sokka quickly clapped a hand over him mouth after the words had escaped his lips and looked around nervously to see if anyone had heard. But everyone who was within earshot was fast asleep.

He looked back to the Fire Princess, "What got into you last night anyway?"

"I… I'm not entirely sure. But Sokka…" She looked at him in the eye.

"Yes, Azula?"

She stayed silent for a moment, unsure of what she wanted to say.

"Last night you let me open up to you… and you listened to me and tried to comfort me."

"So?" Sokka asked uncertainly.

"Well… I guess... thank you." She looked into his eyes and felt herself blush.

"You're… you're welcome…I guess." He felt his face come closer to hers and he shut his eyes.

_What are you doing?! She isn't your girlfriend! She's the person who captured your girlfriend! She's the enemy!_

But it was too late. Their lips were already pressed together and it was too magical to break. Before he could stop himself, he was deepening the kiss, and suddenly her arms were around his neck and her hands were pulling his face closer to hers. He put his hands around her waist and pulled her body closer to his.

They were kneeling in front of each other and their lips were racing faster and faster. They pulled each other closer and closer and held each other tighter and tighter.

Sokka fell backwards and Azula fell forward on top of him and one of her legs were on either side of his waist. He moaned in pleasure as her hands ran over his abdomen and they rolled over so that Sokka was on top of her. She wrapped her legs around him and they held him tighter to her. She moaned as his hands ran up and down her waist and her hands gripped the front of his shirt.

Suddenly, one of the others sighed in their sleep and it brought the two sixteen-year-olds back to reality and Sokka quickly jumped back.

"What are we doing?!" He had to refrain from shouting.

"I…I dunno. But we shouldn't be doing it, that's for sure." Her voice shook as she spoke.

"We'd better stop. I'm going to bed. Goodnight." Sokka spoke quickly and angrily and he could tell that Azula didn't know if he was angry at her or at himself. He wasn't completely sure either, but he had a feeling that it was both.

He slipped into his sleeping bag and went to sleep.

* * *

"Zuko, where are you taking me?" Katara asked playfully as he led her deeper and deeper into the forest.

"You'll see, just keep moving. You're gonna love it," he assured her.

They walked on in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly Zuko caught her hand and stopped her.

"I can't let you see until we're there," he whispered softly in her ear as he stepped behind her and covered her eyes. They kept walking like that for a few more meters and suddenly Katara could sense that they had come clear of the trees. She could tell they were near a cliff because of the wind. It was only blowing gently, but it was cold and bitter. But Zuko's presence made everything feel warm and she completely ignored it.

"Ok, watch your step; there's a staircase here," he warned her and she felt the incline as they moved forward. But the stairs ended after a while and her feet met flat ground. It was made of stone and she could tell they were on a ledge or something hanging over the cliff edge. She just hoped that it was stable.

"Ok, you can look now," said Zuko as they stopped and he removed his hands from over her eyes.

She had to blink a few times before she could acknowledge what she was seeing.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed as she looked out over the Fire Nation's capital city.

"Welcome to Imperial City," the Prince said as he swept a hand out in front of him to indicate to the city.

"It's…it's beautiful," she breathed as she took it all in.

It was a truly amazing sight. The many buildings whose silhouettes could only just be deciphered by the red, orange and yellow sparkling lights that were inside them and on the streets. The designs and colours were impressive and the stars twinkling in the night sky and the forest ending before it as the mountains sloped downwards really set the mood. It was breathtaking to view and it was something Katara would never forget for the rest of her life. In years to come, she would tell her grandchildren of the wonderful feelings that ran through her as she looked out over the city that was being run by the enemy of the world.

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Zuko agreed. "Look, see right over there? That's the palace."

"That's where you use to live?" Katara asked in awe as she looked at the magnificent building. She had only caught a glimpse of it during the invasion on the Day of Black Sun. It was beautiful. And it looked even more magnificent during the night.

"Zuko, this…this is amazing. How did you find it?"

"Like I said; I found it while I was exploring the area. I looked out from here and I could see everything. I thought it looked really cool then, but then I thought about how it would look at night and I thought… well, I thought it would be something for us to enjoy together," he shrugged.

"It's beautiful," she said again as she turned to face him.

"Yea, so are you," he whispered as he looked into her hypnotic blue eyes.

Katara smiled at him and moved a little closer to him.

* * *

_This is it then, _the Princess thought, as she glanced once more at Sokka and the others to make sure they were all asleep. _Time to go._

She stood up and quietly snuck over to where her brother had left his bag. She rummaged through it as quietly as she could. When she dropped it and only just caught it but let out a gasp, she was thankful that Toph was sleeping on the opposite side if her uncle.

_If that man didn't know how to snore, I would be dead meat._

Finally she found the keys. She unlocked her chains as quickly and quietly as she could. She cursed herself when she dropped the metal objects and they hit the floor with a loud chime.

Toph sat up.

"Who's there?" she asked sleepily.

"It's just me, Toph. I'm just getting a drink out of Zuko's bag; go back to sleep," Azula whispered, thinking fast and hoping the blind girl was too tired to detect if she was lying or not. Luckily for Azula, she was, and she lay back down and went back to sleep.

_That was WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too close._

Slowly she got up again and tiptoed to the edge of the campsite. She stopped and took one look back at the group members who were all asleep around the fire and she was almost grateful that Zuko wasn't among them.

_It's hard enough that I'm leaving the first guy I ever had really feelings for to marry some jerk I've hated all my life. Uncle being here doesn't help me at all. If Zuko were here, I probably wouldn't be able to do this._

_Just remember why you're doing this; you're doing this for them. If you don't do this, then there won't be a guard-free day for them to invade the city and defeat the Fire Lord and end the war._

The Fire Princess let out a held breath before she disappeared into the forest in the direction she had gone earlier that day.

* * *

Zuko felt entranced as he looked into the waterbender's eyes and saw the moon reflecting in them, as if they were deep pools of water. He felt all of his breath leave him and he couldn't find any more. He felt like he was suffocating simply by looking into her eyes, as if they really were deep pools of water and he was drowning in them.

They moved closer to each other.

"It's cold out here," she commented.

"Not for long it won't be," he breathed as his hands caught hers and he pulled her gently towards him.

As she wrapped her arms around his neck, she could feel the heat coming off him. It wasn't an unbearable heat, but it was a cozy and pleasant and welcoming one. She drew her body up to his and the warmth spread right through her.

Katara looked into those golden eyes, like pools of liquid amber and she felt her world melting.

* * *

Sokka sat up and blinked the sleep out of his eyes. How long had he been asleep? Were Zuko and Katara back yet?

He looked around the campsite and noticed that they weren't. But as he did a quick head count, he noticed that they were still a member short.

_Azula…_

He looked around again and sure enough, it was the Princess that was missing.

"Azula?" he called out, hoping that she would answer and just have gone for a toilet break or something. "Azula?" he called a little louder.

"What are you calling for?" Toph asked in annoyance. "Some people are trying to sleep!"

"Azula's gone! Toph, wake up, everyone wake up! Azula's missing!"

Everyone sat up and looked around to search the area for the Fire Princess.

"Azula?!" Her name was called many a times in growing concern and frustration and anger. She had escaped.

"AZULA?!"

* * *

The Princess bit her lip and had to resist the urge to respond to the people calling her name. She pressed on until she saw a figure up ahead.

"Commander Reid?" she asked uncertainly.

"Princess," he bowed. "They seem to have noticed your absence, what should we do?"

"Leave. We need to get out of here. Take me back to the camp and order everyone to start packing up."

"Already done, Ma'am," he saluted.

"Good."

She let the young man lead her back to the campsite and everyone was already ready to go when she arrived. They all bowed to welcome her.

"We need to get moving," she ordered. "Let's move out."

Without another word, her soldiers started heading back towards the city.

* * *

"I love you, Katara," Zuko whispered as her face drew closer to his.

"I love you too," she whispered as she closed her eyes.

He shut his eyes too and parted his lips.

"AZULA?!" Sokka's shout was more than audible and made both of them jump.

"Oh, no. Now what's happened?"

They sprinted back to the campsite, leaving the beautiful scenery behind and forgetting what felt like their thousandth almost-kiss.

* * *

"Aang, what should we do?!" Sokka asked frantically. "What if she's found some of her men and they're taking her back to the city?!"

"I-I dunno! Maybe we should pack up camp and move some place else," Aang suggested. "But wait; where's Zuko and Katara?!"

Everyone looked around nervously, but then Sokka spoke.

"They went for a walk just after you lot went to bed, they haven't come back yet."

"Did someone say our names?" Zuko asked as he and Katara ran into the campsite.

"Thank goodness you're ok!" Sokka raced up to his sister and hugged her tight.

"What happened? Where's Azula? What did she do?!" Zuko asked, looking around with a mixture of anger and hurt on his face.

"She snuck off. I went to sleep after you guys left and she just snuck off. I woke up and she was gone!" Sokka told them in annoyance with himself.

The Prince growled in frustration, "Now what do we do?!"

"We need to get out of here, before she comes back with her men. She wouldn't have tried to escape unless she knew where to find them or she knew the way back into the city," Katara declared.

The others nodded in agreement. Everyone started packing up the campsite as quickly as they could. Once they had boarded Appa, the bison took off and they moved quickly out of the area.

When they came to land in another clearing a few hours later (they wanted to put as much distance between them and the Fire Princess as possible while remaining in the mountain ranges and close to the city), they didn't set up camp straight away. Instead, they all got into their sleeping bags and dozed off after they had hopped off Appa's saddle.

They were all tired and they all needed their rest. Zuko and Sokka were the only two who didn't go to sleep straight away.

Sokka was too busy thinking about what had happened last night.

He and Azula had been all over each other for those few precious minutes, they had been in love, he was sure of it. But he had backed out of it because she wasn't fully trust worthy yet. She was still viewed as the enemy, but that didn't change the fact that Sokka knew he was in love with her.

But then she had left. She had waited until no one was looking and she escaped.

_That untrustworthy, psychotic, bitchy, firebending Princess! How could I have been so stupid?! How could I have fallen in love with her?! How could I have been naïve enough to think that she wouldn't try to escape?! How could this have happened?! And now she knows our plans and she'll tell her friends back home and everything is going to go wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG!!!!_

Sokka could feel his heart breaking as he thought.

He had been in love with the Fire Princess and she had made him believe that she was in love with him. And then, she turned on them. She had made him start trusting her. She had made them _all_ start trusting her. She had taught Aang and Zuko prodigy bending and had been friendly to all of them. And then, she had turned on them. And it hurt. It hurt Sokka, a lot.

* * *

Zuko rummaged through his bag to see if his little sister had taken anything. He had noticed that his bag had been gone through and he was sure that Azula was the one behind it.

But nothing was missing. He emptied the content into his lap. There were the keys and the chains and the Prince guessed that she hadn't wanted to take them with her. His water skin was there and so was the map from the mystery person that they had been using all this time to help plot an invasion. The photos of his mother and uncle were still present, but there was something extra there. He picked up the strange object and realized that it wasn't strange at all; it was Azula's amber bracelet. He remembered that she had taken it off the first day she had taught Aang and himself how to make lightning. She must have put it in his bag and forgotten about it.

And suddenly, Zuko could feel something stinging at his heart and it hurt a lot. It was betrayal. He had been so sure that Azula had changed; she had been so good to all of them. They had all started trusting her, and then… she had just walked out on them. And it hurt.

_Why, Azula? Why? After we trusted you so much, after you went through a metamorphosis, and after I thought I had my little sister back, why did you have to go?! _

The Fire Prince could feel tears stinging at his eyes, but he bit them back angrily. He didn't just feel anger towards Azula; he was angry at himself too.

_I knew this would happen! I knew that if she hadn't really changed that I would be really hurt! So why did I let myself trust her?! Why did I let her hurt me?!_

Prince Zuko fingered at the bracelet and glared at each separate bead.

* * *

Sokka had finished thinking and beating himself up and he slipped into his sleeping bag and fell into a restless sleep straight away.

* * *

Zuko continued to stare at the bracelet in his hand until he felt like he was going to crack. Finally, he had had enough. He let out an angry growl and threw the bracelet as far away from him as he could and it landed with a heavy thump in some bushes at the edge of the campsite.

He huffed and as he shoved the rest of his belongings back into his bag and lay back down. He glared at the ground for a moment as his actions took their toll on him. Suddenly his face softened and he sat up again and looked over to where he had thrown the bracelet.

_I can't get rid of you,_ he gasped to himself. _You're the only thing I have left to remind me that I use to have a whole family – you're the last thing in the world that can stop me from forgetting how Azula and I use to be best friends and how we did everything together. You're the one thing that will never let me forget the Azula once loved me._

He crept over to the bushes and searched for the bracelet until he found it. He pulled it out and brushed the dirt off it. When he went back to his sleeping bag, he didn't put it into his bag; he put it in his pocket. But as he lay down, he didn't take his hand out of his pocket; he stroked the piece of jewelry as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"AZULA!" Ty Lee ran up to the Fire Princess and hugged her the moment she saw her.

"Hello, Ty Lee. What did I miss?"

"Your own wedding," Mai put in. The three girls laughed. "Your dad wasn't too happy to find out that you had gotten caught. He was pretty mad, but he made it look like he was worried. I think he kinda was."

"Yea, worried that I might have joined the Avatar, not worried for me," Azula muttered.

"Pardon?" Mai asked.

"Nothing," the Princess smiled. She could tell by the look in Mai's eyes that she didn't believe it was nothing. But the girl didn't question her friend any further.

"Princess!" a half angry and annoyed half relieved voice came.

The three girls turned to see the Fire Lord coming to greet his daughter.

"Hello, Father," she bowed and her friends followed suite.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine," she answered, although she knew the answer to that question wasn't important to him from the look on his face. "We attacked the Avatar and his friends and Zuko ended up capturing me and they took me hostage to escape. My men followed them away though, and finally caught up with us yesterday. I snuck away from the campsite last night to rejoin them; they are so naïve to think that I wouldn't try and escape. There was no one on guard so they made my job truly easy," she explained, keeping her voice steady but with a hint of disbelief and malice at the people she was talking about. It fooled everyone and no one questioned her further about the subject.

"Come; we need to make arrangements with Admiral Shang for the wedding. We need to reschedule for some time in the near future," Ozai informed her coldly.

The Princess nodded and farewell her friends. They had no choice but to let her father lead her away.

Once they were alone, the Fire Lord spoke again, "I am disappointed in you, Princess Azula."

"I know, Father. I'm sorry," she lied. But it didn't work.

"You're sorry?!" he laughed bitterly. "Don't try and fool me, Azula; I know damn well that you're far from sorry!" he spat.

Azula kept a straight face and tried not to show her fear in her eyes. But it still didn't work; she was always afraid that her father would get violent and she knew that this was one of the things that set him right off.

"You're right," she breathed. "I'm not sorry that I disappointed you; I'm sorry I didn't stay with them."

Pain shot through her cheek as her father gave her a hard backhander. She bit her lip as she tried not to make any sound to signal that she was in pain. She didn't straighten up and she didn't look at her father. Azula glared at the ground on one side of the corridor. They had stopped walking.

"Watch your tongue, girl. Because if you don't, I can promise you that you will pay the price," he hissed dangerously.

The Princess still didn't look up at him. She was too scared that she might say something else stupid that would get her killed.

"Get up to your room and make yourself presentable. Meet me in the throne room in an hour."

With that, Lord Ozai walked away and left his daughter standing in the corridor, alone. When he had been gone for a while, she let a tear roll down her bruised cheek. It fell to the floor and Azula could have sworn her surroundings were so silent that she heard it splash.

She wanted to run away and go back to the Avatar and his friends and her uncle and her brother and Sokka. She didn't want to get married, not to Shang. She hated Shang.

_But I need to. It's my duty. If I don't do this, then there won't be a guard-free day for them to launch an invasion. _

She remembered how Sokka had told her that his first girlfriend had been in an arranged marriage with a man she hated, and she wondered what would have happened between Sokka and the Water Princess if she hadn't turned into the Moon Spirit. She wondered what would happen between herself and Sokka when this was all over and she finally got a chance to tell them the truth. She hoped that he would understand and that he wouldn't hate her. She hoped that they would all understand and not hate her. But she wanted so badly to be with Sokka.

_I'm doing this for them. I'm doing this for him. To help him, to help all of them._

She couldn't let herself forget why she had left. Azula had to keep reminding herself that she was redeeming herself by doing this.

She took a deep breath and then ran, as fast as she could, to her bedroom. Once she was there, she did as her father had instructed and she washed up and put some decent clothes on. The last thing she did was put some makeup on over her bruised cheek. She didn't want anyone to ask how she had been hurt and by who. She made sure it wasn't noticeable that she was wearing make up before she left the room and headed to the throne room to make plans with her father and fiancé.

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**(Sigh), you can't help but feel sorry for the girl, can you? I'm sorry, but I have to be cruel to her for this story line to work. Just trust me, everything WILL be ok in the end... by the way, just thought I'd tell you now, this is just the first of a series that I'm writing (Yes, it's just my own thing for avatar, nothing's gonna be original). (Gulp), so when I say in the end, I mean at the end of the series. Does that make sense? Ok, I only recently figured out the whole of the story line. **

**Keep reading and please review.**

**Oh, and JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!!!**


	18. La Tango De Roxanne

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If you people don't like musicals, then I'm really sorry to be putting you through this, but it's a pretty important chapter if you ask me. The song is 'La Tango De Roxanne' and it's from the movie 'Moulin Rouge', which I am currently obsessed with. A lot of this chapter was inspired by that movie, but I do not own any of it! Alright, read and review. And enjoy!

**Shout-out to my wonderful anonymous reviewer mT! Thanks for the review and I'm glad you liked last chapter ;) I hope this is satisfying for you too.**

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**18. La Tango De Roxanne**

When the gang woke up later on that day, it was around noon. They set up camp in silence because they were all still tired and shocked from the previous night's event. Zuko and Sokka were both angry at themselves and at Azula, but the only way they showed it was by being isolated as well as silent.

Katara was the first one to speak, "Are we having breakfast, lunch or brunch?"

"Lunch," Toph, Iroh and Aang whispered quietly.

The others only nodded as they continued their business.

* * *

After lunch, Sokka and Teo went back to their map planning after Zuko gave it to them, not that there was anything to plan at that point. They had planned out everything they could without knowing exactly when they were going to put the plan in action. Most of the time, they just stared blankly at the map in silence.

Aang, Katara, Zuko and Iroh all practiced their bending quietly. They only interacted with each other once when Zuko asked Aang if he wanted a training session. The Avatar nodded and the two boys stood up and bowed to each other. They each tried to shoot lightning, but they couldn't clear themselves of all of their emotions and continuously got blown backwards. After a while, they gave up and went back to doing their own things. They both knew that they couldn't do prodigy bending because every time they tried, they thought of Azula, and they couldn't keep the anger and hurt and betrayal away from them while they were thinking about her.

Once again, Toph, The Duke and Haru disappeared into the city to see if they could find out any more information that might be even the slightest bit useful to them. The first thing Toph noticed when she stepped into the city dressed in her Fire Nation disguise was that everyone seemed to be a little more happy and care free than any other time.

"I wonder what's going on that's making everyone so happy," she wondered out loud to her two companions.

"Dunno; maybe we should ask."

"But what if they ask us why we don't know?" The Duke asked nervously.

"We'll tell them that we're tourists from one of the colonies in the Earth Kingdom," Haru said simply.

"Good plan, boys," Toph praised them. With that she approached a shop keeper. "Excuse me, Sir, my friends and I are staying in the city for a while. We were wondering why everyone is so happy; we've been here before and everyone's acting more boisterous than the last time we visited."

"Well, you've come to the right place, kids!" he told them merrily. "There are actually two events that we found out about today. The first is the Masquerade Ball that's being held tonight to celebrate the coming of summer. The other news I don't know much about; but there is going to be a wedding between a couple of nobles. No one knows who it is, but we just found out that _everyone_ in the city is invited to the wedding in two days time. It's being held at the palace, so they must be pretty important people," he smiled.

"A Masquerade Ball?! Cool! I've always wanted to go to a Masquerade Ball!" The Duke chimed.

"Well, you can come if you're interested. It's open to everyone. They're selling free masks on the corner of the street and there's some information about it there too. It's open to everyone who wants to come."

"Now, hold on. This wedding; you said everyone's invited, right?" The man nodded. "Does that include the guards? And would they be going to the after party?"

"Yes, of course! There are only going to be a few guards placed in the vital areas of the city and they'll get to swap over with some other guards during the day. But there are only going to be twenty or so guards that won't be attending at any one time. Everyone else in the city is expected to be there at least in respect. So I guess I'll be seeing you guys there!"

"Thank you," Toph smiled, keeping her head bowed so that he couldn't tell she was blind.

"And this Masquerade Ball tonight; is everyone going to be there as well?"

"No, it's a wonderful event, but only we people who live at the edge of the city attend it. There's a much bigger one for the nobles later on in the season up at the palace," he explained.

"Cool!" Haru said. "Are you gonna be there?"

"Sure am; I never miss the summer Masquerade Ball."

"We might see you there then," Toph smiled.

The man smiled back as they left the shop.

"This is so cool! I've always wanted to go to a Masquerade Ball!" The Duke told them.

"Calm down – the ball isn't the best thing we just found out about," Toph told them. They looked at her in confusion and she sighed and rolled her unseeing eyes. "The wedding in two days time; it's the guard-free day!" she exclaimed quietly, making sure no one had heard her.

"Oh my goodness! It is too! How silly of us not to have noticed," Haru laughed.

Toph shook her head, "Come on, let's go and get some of these masks and find out where the ball is. Then we'll go and tell the others the good news."

They nodded and headed for the little stall that was selling the masks.

"But which mask should we get for the others?" The Duke asked.

"Maybe we should just get masks for ourselves, and when we come back tonight, the others can get their masks then," Toph suggested.

"As long as they're here by five o'clock, that's fine. But we close at five," the stall girl informed them.

"Thank you. Ok, boys, choose your masks."

They all picked a mask each. Toph chose a dark green mask with a gold and red ring around the eyes. The Duke chose a mask that was brown and white and Haru chose one that was red and orange. Each of the masks only covered their eyes but that was enough of a disguise for them. But there were may other masks to choose from.

"Ok, let's go and tell the others," they decided as they headed back to the campsite.

* * *

Princess Azula sighed as she reentered her bedroom.

Two more days of misery until she was stuck with that jerk for the rest of her life. Two more days until the wedding. Two more days until the invasion. Two more days until the war would end. Two more days until she could finally tell the others who she really was.

_Two more days…_

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," she called quietly. The door opened and her father stepped in. "What do you want?"

"Put something nice on and pretty up. Do whatever it is you girls do before going out to dinner with you fiancé," he told her.

"What are you talking about?" The Princess raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to spend the evening with Admiral Shang. Get that dress your mother gave you on and make yourself presentable for a night out."

"But, Dad –"

"No buts! Do it! And I better not hear of any trouble. Shang will keep me informed of your behavior," he warned.

The Fire Princess sighed, "Yes, Father."

The man stopped at the door and turned back to his daughter. "Be ready in an hour." With that he shut the door and left.

* * *

"Oh, this is going to be so fun!" Katara shouted as Toph, Haru and The Duke told them of the news of the Masquerade Ball.

"Yea! We should all go! It'll be our celebration for determining a definite date for this invasion and it'll be a victory party for before we've won!" Aang smiled.

The bad mood that the Princess's departure had left everyone in had lifted since the boys and Toph had come back with the good news. Even Sokka and Zuko had stopped isolating themselves. They were still the quietest group member, but no one was completely silent any more.

"So, you three have already got your masks?" Zuko asked.

Toph, Haru and The Duke all nodded and showed their masks to everyone.

"Cool," Sokka commented.

"We'll have to get our own masks when we get into the city. But how are all of us going to get into the city without me and Aang being noticed? And Uncle!"

"You won't have to worry about me; I'm not going to come. I'll be too noticeable in a room full of dancers. Anyways, my days of dancing and frivolity are gone and past now. You kids go on without me; I'll wait here for you!" Iroh told them.

"I'll stay with you; there's no point in me going seeing as I can't dance," Teo put in.

"Fair enough," Toph nodded.

"Ok, but how are we going to get in and out of the city without Aang and Zuko getting caught? Their features are too noticeable… no offense to either of you," Katara put her hands up innocently.

"None taken!" Aang smiled and Zuko confirmed by nodding.

"Well, Aang could borrow my helmet to hid his arrow tattoo on his head," The Duke suggested.

"Good idea, we'll all have to wear our Fire Nation disguises, so that'll hide my arrows on my hands," Aang decided.

They all agreed.

"But what about Firefly?" Toph asked again.

"Well… I have a hood on the cloak I used to sneak out of the palace in. I've still got it at the bottom of my bag, I could wear that into the city," Zuko shrugged.

"That'll work," Katara chimed.

Everyone else agreed again.

"Ok, if you guys want masks, then we better get a move on; the shopkeeper said that the mask stall closes as five," Haru reminded them.

With that, they all quickly went and got ready for the night in the city. They were inside the city within half an hour and only just made it to the mask stall in time.

It was already getting dark as they walked up the street with their masks on. Aang was simply wearing a black leather eye mask under the helmet. Sokka was wearing a Fire Nation soldiers mask with a smiley face on it. Katara found a mask of the Painted Lady and put it on.

"Jeez, you look just like you did when we went into that Fire Nation town and you pretended that you really were the Painted Lad, Katara," Aang said quietly.

"From what I can see, I'd say the same, Sugarqueen," Toph smirked.

"Excellent," the waterbender said as she put her fingertips together in front of her face.

When they turned to Zuko, Aang gasped.

"That looks just like your old mask!"

"What old mask?" Katara asked suspiciously.

"You remember the day he first tried to join, how I told you that he had saved me from Zhao when you and Sokka were sick?" Katara nodded. "Well, he was wearing that mask the whole time he was rescuing me and I didn't find out it was him until one of the YuuYan archers shot him and it kinda slipped of a little. I saw the edge of his scar and I took the mask off. When I saw it was him, I was going to run and leave him there… but then I decided that I owed him for getting me out of there, even if he was just going to capture me for himself," Aang explained as he smiled between them.

Katara examined the blue and white mask and smiled, "Where did you get the first one you had? It looks like a Water Tribe design."

"My mother gave it to me when I was a kid. It _was_ from the Southern Water Tribe, actually. One of my Mum's friends was very distantly related to a waterbender way, way back and she didn't want the heirloom. So she gave it to my mum and my mum gave it to me," the Prince shrugged.

"Cool! I would have loved to see the real one; this one's made of something we don't have in the south," she told him as she traced the edge of the mask with her fingers.

"I got rid of it in Ba Sing Se," he sighed.

Her face showed a bit of disappointment, but she kept smiling anyway. They all walked towards the palace in the direction of the venue. The ball was being held in a rather large hall just a few blocks away from the palace itself. It irked Aang to know that he was only a few blocks away from his sworn enemy. It bothered Zuko deeply that his father was so nearby and Toph seemed to notice both of them being unnerved.

"Guys, don't worry; no one's gonna notice you. I'm the only person who's gonna know exactly who you are, but that's only because I can see behind the masks with my earthbending."

Both boys sighed and tried to relax as they stepped into the hall. Everything was decorated wonderfully and there were only thirty or so people attending other than themselves.

Aang and Zuko forgot their fears; everything was going to be ok.

* * *

Azula double checked to make sure her makeup wasn't overly noticeable on her bruised cheek as she pulled a stray bit of hair behind her ear. She was wearing the dress her mother had given her a long time ago; she had been too young and tiny to fit into it at that point, but now she was old enough and had more of a figure for it to cling to. Her mother had told her that she had worn that dress the first time she had been out to dinner with Ozai.

Azula shuddered to think that her mother had truly been in love with that monster. She wondered if she would still love him today if she were here and if she knew what he had put her through. The Princess doubted it.

The dress was formal and came down just below her knees. It was a fairly simple red dress with some gold and black trimmings around the edges.

The Fire Princess had taken her hair out of its usual bun and had made it so that most of her hair hung loose. But she had gathered the top layer of her straight black hair and tied that up in a bun. She looked at herself in the mirror and she was sure it was her mother that was staring back at her.

She smiled at herself and thought; _Did Mum feel like this the first time she went out to dinner with Dad?_

Once again she doubted it. She knew that her mother had been in an arranged marriage with Prince Ozai, (he hadn't been Fire Lord when they'd met) but she had been in love with him.

She almost smiled at the work she had done on herself and was sure she would have if it had been for a different purpose. She sighed and left the room to meet her father.

Shang was already present when she found them just outside the throne room.

"Ah, greetings, Princess!" he smirked, bowing.

"Good evening, Admiral," she curtseyed politely and glanced at her father, standing behind the man. He nodded in approval.

"Shall we be off then? Have a good evening, My Lord," Shang turned and bowed to Ozai.

"I just need a quick word with my daughter, if you don't mind, Admiral," the Fire Lord excused himself.

"But of course; I'll be waiting out side."

Shang left and Fire Lord Ozai turned to his daughter, "Princess, I'm warning you; if you put a toe out of line there will be consequences. Behave yourself."

"Yes, Father." Azula turned to leave, but her father caught her arm.

"Azula, you will treat him like you would any other man who would become your husband," he hissed, and Azula understood that he meant she had to act as if she was in love with Admiral Shang.

She bit her bottom lip, "Yes, Father," she breathed. She headed out after the Admiral. He was waiting for her outside, as he said he would be. The moment he saw her, he grabbed her arm and wove it around his own.

"Come, my darling," he flirted, much to the Princess's disgust.

_Oh, flame-ie-NO!_

With that, she was led to his house, where they would be having dinner.

* * *

Haru, The Duke and Toph were all dancing lightly to the music. It was nothing big at the moment and apparently, there were still another dozen or so people to show up. They slowly came and the music slowly got more and more dance worthy.

Sokka watched in envy as happy couples danced. He was thinking of his own love life.

_Why can't my love life be as happy as theirs? Why did she have to leave?_

_Because you aren't meant to be with her! _Another part of his brain answered for him.

_But I was in love with her._

_Was; past tense!_

_You're right, but then who am I suppose to be with?_

_Oh, Spirits! Are you really that stupid? Have you forgotten about Suki? The woman that you were talking about before you first kissed Azula? You are in love with her!_

Sokka would have smiled, the only reason he didn't was because he didn't know if she was truly safe or not.

_Where is she?_

He looked around at all of the other happy couples and his envy grew.

At that moment, a man with a rough, deep voice spoke up from the stage at the back of the room.

"Each year, we hold this ball, in honor of the coming of summer!" his voice boomed, silencing everyone else. "And each year, we hold one traditional dance. Tonight we will be dancing a tango; those of you who are familiar with it are welcome to join in."

Sokka couldn't stay here any longer as he heard the familiar tune the string instruments began to play. He stood and headed for the exit.

"Snoozle, where are you going?" Toph asked.

"Back to the camp; I'm too tired to stay here," he informed her bluntly.

Toph could tell he was lying, but she could also tell he was in a sensitive mood. She thought it best to just let him go.

* * *

Azula sat at the table with Shang and listened to him as he spoke. They had already eaten and it was starting to get late.

"I can assure you, Princess Azula, when we marry, you will become one of the luckiest women in the Fire Nation," he told her.

_Why do I find that hard to believe?_ She asked herself sarcastically.

"I'm sure I will be," she lied.

He smirked at her.

* * *

The music kept playing as some of the more practiced-in-dancing patrons found partners and began to dance.

"Oh, I know this song! We use to dance to it every Winter Solstice celebration!" Katara exclaimed, practically bouncing.

"Do you know the steps?" Zuko asked from behind his blue and white mask.

She nodded and he offered her his hand.

Katara gasped, "Do you know them too?"

The Blue Spirit nodded to the Painted Lady as the lead man began to tell a story to go with the dance.

"There is desire!" He and his partner drew closer to each other. "Then, passion!" Their bodies met and Katara took Zuko's hand.

Aang watched in bafflement; he had been about to ask the waterbender to dance. But he wasn't just going to let it slide; he needed to tell Katara something.

"Wait, can I talk to you first. Sorry Zuko, but it's kinda important," the Avatar apologized.

"No problem," the Prince let go of Katara's hand and Aang led her away.

"Then, suspicion!" The man grabbed the wrist of his partner and pulled away from her as another man came up behind her.

Zuko watched in suspicion as Aang led her away a little. After a moment, he turned back to the dancers who had already started. It must have been some sort of arranged dance because there were a few men standing in certain positions around the room and looking as if they were all going to dance with the one girl who was already dancing.

* * *

"What's wrong, Aang?" Katara asked.

"Nothings wrong… I don't think. But I need to tell you something."

"What?" She was slightly concerned.

"Remember on the Day of Black Sun? Just before I flew off to search for the Fire Lord?"

Katara nodded, vaguely remembering.

"Do you remember what I did?"

The water girl had to think for a moment, then she remembered; he had kissed her. "Why is that important now?" she asked uneasily.

"Do you know what I meant by it?"

"Aang, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying…" The Avatar moved his face closer to hers. "I love you."

Aang pressed his lips up against hers.

* * *

Zuko looked over to where Katara and Aang were to see if they were done talking so that he could finally have his dance. But what he saw made his heart break; they were kissing. He looked away quickly, before he could die of hurt and he ran from the venue.

"Firefly, where are you going?" Toph asked; the boys were really confusing her tonight.

"Away from them!" He indicated behind him to where Katara and Aang were and Toph gasped.

"Firefly –" But it was too late; he was already gone.

"Jealousy, anger, betrayal!" The man sent his partner twirling and they moved towards the new man, and he kept telling the story. "When love is for the highest bidder, there can be no trust. Without trust there _is_ no love!"

_Well of coarse she's going to choose him over me. He's the Avatar; next to him, I'm nothing._

The man threw his partner into the arms of the other man and walked away.

"Jealousy, will drive you, MAD!"

_Roxanne,_

* * *

Katara pulled away from Aang, "Stop!"

_You don't have to put on that red light,_

"What's wrong?" he asked in shock; hadn't she felt how magical it was?

_Walk the streets for money_,

"I can't be with you, I love… somebody else." She walked away and went to find Zuko. She wanted so much to just forget that it had happened.

_You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right,_

Aang didn't want to believe it. She was in love with someone else. It hurt, a lot.

* * *

"You look dazzling in that dress, Princess Azula," Shang flattered her.

_But of course you'd say that._

"Why thank you, Admiral, your compliments are appreciated," _as much as a whole in the head._

_

* * *

_

_Roxanne, you don't have to wear that dress tonight,_ the man sung as Toph tried to catch up with Katara. But there were too many people around getting in her way. She couldn't earthbend without someone noticing.

* * *

Azula had been flirting in return to him all night, trying to do as her father had told her. She needed to make him think she was in love with him… or at lease believe that she didn't mind him.

_I feel like such a slut, _Azula thought as she excused herself, "I just need a little fresh air."

"Of course," Shang showed her out to the balcony.

* * *

_Roxanne, you don't have to sell your body to the night_, one of the many men that had started dancing with the woman lifted her up into the air.

Another man started singing as Katara approached Haru, "Do you know where Zuko is?"

"Sorry, Katara, I don't," he shrugged, looking around for the blue and white mask at the same time. "Perhaps he got tired and went back to the camp."

* * *

Zuko could still hear the music and singing as he walked quickly away from the ball and he couldn't help but softly sing along to it. "_His eyes upon your face, his hand upon your hand, his lips caress your skin…"_ The image of Katara and Aang kissing was stuck solid in his head. "_IT'S MORE THAN I CAN STAND!"_

_Roxanne!_

"_Why does my heart cry, feelings I can't fight?"_

* * *

Sokka remembered Yue and Suki and Azula as he sang along to the music.

"_You're free to leave me, just don't deceive me and please, believe me when I say,"_

Both boys sang the next line as tears ran down their cheeks, _"I love you!"_

Sokka looked up at a balcony when some movement caught his eye. And there she was; Azula. She was wearing a low cut red dress. Most of her silky black hair hung loose and her amber eyes stared miserably down at him.

* * *

"Katara!" Toph finally caught up with the waterbender.

"Oh, hey, Toph. Have you seen Zuko anywhere?"

"He just left," she said bluntly failing to resist the urge to glare at Katara. "He saw you kiss Aang and it broke his heart!"

"WHAT?! I didn't kiss Aang; he kissed me!" Some of the people around them stopped and stared as the music and dancing slowed down and went quiet for a moment to build up suspense.

"He left, he ran off! He thinks you're cheating on him!" Toph told her and most of the bystanders decided to ignore them as it was definitely none of their business.

Katara gaped at her, "I have to find him!"

"Go Katara, quickly, before he does something stupid!"

The waterbender ran from the ballroom and down the streets in search for her misunderstanding lover.

* * *

Azula's eyes widened when she saw Sokka (who had removed his mask as he had been walking) staring up at her from the streets. His eyes asked a single question that Azula knew he meant as many; _why?_

_Why did you leave? Why did you break my heart? Why did you act as if you loved me? Why did you trick us?_

Azula felt tears sting at her eyes as she tried to find the words to answer him. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. It was probably luck as well, for right then, she could feel Shang watching her from behind.

* * *

As Sokka looked up at the Princess, he saw a figure, a head taller than her, come up behind her. He had thick black hair and yellow eyes and was dressed as if he were out to dinner. He came up behind the Princess and attempted to kiss the side of her neck.

"_No…_" she breathed as she pulled away from him; she couldn't do it any more. She couldn't pretend that she was in love with this man any longer, and especially not with Sokka right there.

"No?" he asked with a stab of jealously running through his voice. He looked down towards the Water Tribe boy and noticed the look of desperation and longing the Fire Princess was giving him. Oh, I see. Forbidden love." He scowled at Sokka. "Daddy won't be pleased."

Azula tore her pleading gaze away from Sokka and quickly went back inside. Shang remained for a moment and glared angrily at his rival. Sokka looked back up at the man and something clicked; _He's the man Azula has to marry!_

He looked at the ground ahead of him again and kept walking. The whole way down that street, he could feel that man glaring at him.

* * *

The music, mainly the violins, began to get louder and louder while playing a tune that signaled danger, and Katara began to worry that she was too late to stop Zuko from doing anything bad.

* * *

Azula heard the Admiral come inside behind her and shut the door.

She spun on her heals to face him, "Admiral –"

"SILENCE!" He grabbed her wrists and pushed them backwards, making her fall to her knees and gasp and scream in pain. "You made me believe that you loved me," he hissed down to her.

"No…" She looked up at him desperately as tears streaked her cheeks.

He blinked angrily. He slid his hands down her neck to where the engagement necklace was and slipped his fingers under the ribbon.

* * *

"Zuko!" Katara screamed as she ran in the direction of the campsite, obviously he had gone back there. She passed no one on the way, but she kept running; she had to set things right.

* * *

Sokka walked back towards the campsite quickly, but he took many detours on purpose; he wanted to calm down before he got back to the campsite. He didn't want anyone to know that he was upset and he didn't want anyone to start questioning him.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard someone, a girl, call out Zuko's name. It sounded like Katara.

He kept walking; he didn't want her to find him.

* * *

Azula shut her eyes tight as Shang finally broke the ribbon that held her necklace together and it fell to the ground. Her eyes flew open and she jumped up with a shriek. The Admiral tried to grab her, but she kept running.

_Roxanne!_

"_Why does my heart cry,"_ the music started again.

Azula ran around the table and tried to get away from him, but he kept coming at her. She was scared.

"_Feelings I can't fight?"_

_Roxanne!_

* * *

Zuko finally reached the forest, but he didn't slow down as he ran into it and continued towards the campsite.

"_You don't have to put on that red light,"_

He could hear Katara calling his name frantically.

_Roxanne!_

"Zuko! Come back! Wait!"

* * *

Toph hoped to the Spirits that everything would be alright.

* * *

"Get away from me!" Azula shrieked as Shang took a vice grip on her arm and pulled her towards him. She couldn't move.

He grabbed the top of her dress and pulled down on it, hard. It tore right off her frame and fell to the ground as Shang pushed her backwards onto a couch and she struggled and screamed and begged him not to do it.

He was on top of her. She screamed out desperately, but it didn't stop him. She searched wildly around the other furniture within arms reach and found a hand mirror on a small table. As he pressed his lips to her neck she picked it up. She took one look at her tear stained face and…

_Roxanne!_

The song ended.

Azula gave one final scream and smashed the mirror over his head. Admiral Shang fell unconscious and the Princess didn't hesitate to jump up and grab her coat. She gave her massacred dress a fleeting look as she left it on the floor behind her and ran.

_That was my favourite dress and I only got to wear it once…_

She ran as fast as she could back to the palace and took all of the side streets so that no one would see her; it was late anyway. No one stopped her as she ran up to her room and slammed the door shut behind her.

She leaned against the door, panting and clutching a stitch in her side.

**

* * *

**

**Ok, if anyone's watch 'Moulin Rouge' that whole thing with the song in it and what happened to everyone should sound pretty familiar. Yea, I decided to do a total play-off of that scene, it's one of my favourites. Well, I hope you liked it. Please, read and review!**

**Join TEAM ZUTARA if you haven't already!**


	19. Break up, Make up

**I left it quite open at the end of last chapter, didn't I? Well, I hope you all like this chapter. I think you can get a fair idea of what's going to happen by the chapter title. Alright, well, read and review. OH, and don't forget to enjoy! **

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* * *

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**19. Break Up, Make Up**

Zuko didn't stop running until he reached the campsite. Iroh and Teo gave him concerned looks, but he ignored them.

"Nephew, what is wrong? Why are you back so early?" his uncle asked him.

"THERE'S NOTHING WRONG! I'm going to bed!" Zuko shouted; he just couldn't control his anger.

"Prince Zuko –"

"Just leave me alone, damn it!"

The Fire Prince didn't go to his sleeping bag; he ran off into the forest on the other side of the campsite and kept going until he came to another clearing. There he stopped and sat down at the edge. He leaned back against a tree trunk and sighed. Looking up at the moon, he thought of her.

_Why did you do it, Katara? Why, when we've been together for so long, when I had just asked you to dance and you had agreed? Why did you break my heart?_

Tears raced down his cheeks. She was unfaithful and it really killed him inside to know it.

She was in love with Aang, and next to Aang, the Avatar, the Masaya of the world, Zuko was nothing, not even if he was a Prince.

* * *

"Hey! Have either of you guys seen Zuko?" Katara asked frantically as she stumbled into the campsite.

Iroh and Teo looked up at her and nodded. "He went that way," Teo pointed in the opposite direction from which Katara had come. "He seemed pretty upset and he was in tears."

"And he was angry," Iroh warned. "Be careful; my nephew can have quite a nasty temper when he's like this."

Katara bit her lip as a few tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Katara –" Iroh gave her a serious look. "– do you know what's wrong with my nephew?"

Katara looked the man in the eye. "There's been a misunderstanding. I need to help him see that it wasn't what he thought it was."

With that, the waterbender walked off in Zuko's direction and disappeared into the trees.

* * *

Azula got dressed into her night clothes and lay down in her bed. She was in deep shit and she knew it. The moment Shang told her father what had happened, he would flip at her. He'd beat her and yelled at her so loud that the whole city would be able to hear.

But for that moment, she didn't care. As long as she was away from that…that…that _monster,_ she was happy.

She shut her eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Toph found Haru and The Duke. "C'mon guys, let's start heading back."

"Why? What's wrong?" The Duke asked.

"And where are Sokka, Zuko and Katara?" Haru searched the crowd for their friends.

"Sokka ran off for some reason and Zuko did too after a while. I don't know why Sokka left and it's up to Zuko to tell you why he left. Katara ran off after him when she realized what was wrong," she informed them.

"And Aang?" The Duke asked.

"Did I hear my name?" The young Avatar appeared next to Toph and she had to resist the urge to yell at him.

_This is all your fault! If you had just left Katara alone, then Zuko wouldn't be upset and he and she would be dancing the room down! But nooooo, you just had to spoil it and give Zuko the wrong idea, didn't you?!_

"Aang, come on, we're going back to the campsite; do you wanna come with us?" she asked, failing to keep a scowl off her face.

"Um… yea, ok…" The way she was looking at him made Aang know that he had done something wrong, and the two other boys had noticed it too.

"Toph, is everything ok?" Haru asked uncertainly.

And she couldn't stop herself, "No, everything is _not_ ok! You wanna know what's not ok?! The fact that Arrow Head just went and kissed Katara when she had just been asked to dance and the fact that she's so obviously in love with somebody else!"

"You kissed Katara?!" Haru asked. "Wait, she's in love with someone else?" He looked back at Toph and she nodded.

"What's wrong with that?" Aang asked Toph.

"I just told you! SHE'S IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE AND HE SAW IT! KATARA'S IN LOVE WITH Z –" She stopped short before she could say and quickly changed her answer. "SOMEONE ELSE!"

Aang had shrunk back while his friend had screamed at him and most of the dancers around them had stopped to watch and the music had silenced. Toph was panting and tears had formed in her eyes. She bit her lip, "I'm going back to the campsite. You guys come back when you're ready."

With that, she left the venue, leaving the boys in stunned silence and the dancers and other people in the hall to slowly get over the scene and get back to what they had been doing.

Toph started running as soon as she was outside.

_I have to find Katara and Zuko, I have to tell Zuko what really happened._

She knew Zuko was devastated and she knew that she had to help Katara explain the situation for him to understand. So she ran as fast as she could to the rescue.

* * *

"Ok, creepy. I have never seen Toph go off at someone like that about _anything_!" The Duke exclaimed.

"Me neither!" Haru shook his head.

"Why is she so angry at you for kissing Katara?" the young boy asked Aang.

"I…I…" He sighed as tears came to his eyes. "I don't know." He hung his head.

"Come on," Haru said after a while. "Let's get outta here; I don't like getting all these stares."

Everyone agreed that the stares Toph had earned them with her outburst were indeed disturbing. They all walked back towards the campsite in slow confusion.

* * *

Azula stood in front of a priest with her whole nation watching her and Admiral Shang stood next to her. He smiled at her and she tried to smile back, but she couldn't quite manage.

_C'mon Azula, just make it look like you're happy. You need this plan to work._

She finally managed to smile and she felt her father's hands around her neck as he placed her betrothal necklace around it. The Fire Princess could feel it choking her and she tried to pull it off. She coughed and doubled over, trying to breathe, but no one seemed to be noticing her suffering.

It looked like the end was near when a single figure stepped forward from the crowd; everyone else remained in suspended animation. It was Zuko, but not as himself; he was wearing a hood and beneath it, she could see his massacred face. He ran at her as if to hurt her and she fled out a side door. No one else moved or made any sign of life at all as they stood as still as statues.

Azula ran as fast as she could down corridor after corridor, until she could see her room up ahead. She threw the door open and slammed it shut once she was inside, but Zuko was already there. He pushed her up against the door and took a vice grip on her throat as her necklace vanished.

"YOU KILLED ME!"

"NO! I didn't kill you! I'm sorry I ever did anything wrong in the first place!" she screamed at him, begging him to understand. And as if her prayers had been answered, his face softened and he let go of her throat and took a step back.

She watched him as he seemed to drift further away, until he was on the other side of a room, but it was no longer her own; it was a guest room.

And his expression changed to one of horror as she felt something pierce her stomach. The sharp pain spread throughout her whole, entire body and she looked to see her father standing before her. He pulled a dagger out of her gut and walked away as she slumped to the ground. Zuko appeared over her and he tried to sit her up.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered again.

"I know you are." He kissed her gently on the forehead. "Just hold on." He reached into his pocket and pulled out her amber bracelet. The Fire Prince slipped the piece of jewelry onto his sister's left wrist with shaky hands, but Azula only fell limp in his arms.

* * *

"Zuko?" Katara whispered as she spotted him sitting at the edge of the clearing. He didn't answer her or look up. He didn't do anything whatsoever to acknowledge that she was there; he just sat with his knees to his chest, his arms folded on top of them and his chin resting on his forearms.

She walked forward, hesitantly and knelt down beside him.

"Zuko…" She reached forward with one hand and tried to place it on his shoulder, but with one swift movement, he grabbed her wrist with one of his own hands and pushed it back away from him. He kept his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him and kept his lips tightly together.

"It's not what you think," she said quietly, so that she even struggled to hear herself.

Zuko still didn't speak, he just folded his arms on his knees again as she wrenched her wrist gently from his grip.

Katara watched him in silence for a moment and tears stung at her eyes. She could tell that he was hurt, badly. She wanted so much to make him feel better, to just make the pain go away. She wanted to end his misery and tell him that she loved him. But would he listen to her now?

_I'm sorry, Zuko. Please understand that it wasn't me who kissed him. Please know that my heart belongs to you._

Tears trickled down her cheeks and she let out a small sob.

"I'm sorry…"

"YOU'RE SORRY?!" He raised his voice as he stood up, so quickly that she almost fell over in shock. "You're sorry?! It's not what _I_ think?! Then _what_ is it, Katara?! Tell me that! WHAT IS IT?!"

She sobbed again and shook her head, "It's not what you think… it didn't happen the way you think it did." She lowered her voice and hoped that he would calm down.

"Whatever!" He turned and faced away from her, bitter tears streaking his face. But he would not let her see them. He wouldn't show her weakness now.

"I didn't kiss him; he kissed me. I swear I would never betray you. I would never love Aang like that," she cried, praying that he would just believe her.

"Yea, right!" he spat, and she knew he was not convinced in the slightest.

"Zuko… please…"

"NO! Just… just leave me alone, Katara!"

"But –"

"I SAID LEAVE!" he snapped and turned to glare at her.

She sobbed again and turned away and ran back into the forest, in the direction of the campsite.

* * *

"Hey, have you guys seen Katara or Zuko?!" Toph asked in a panic.

Iroh and Teo pointed in the direction both of the teenagers had run off in.

"Thanks!"

Toph was about to sprint of to find them when she felt two sets of vibrations. She could feel Katara running back towards the campsite from the direction Iroh and Teo had said she had gone and Sokka was coming from behind them, from the direction Toph had appeared from.

She sighed and sat down, deciding just to wait for them to come to her. She would have to talk to Katara first anyway, so that they could work something out to convince the Fire Prince of her innocence.

* * *

Azula woke with a start and sat bolt upright. Cold sweat stained her face and she was breathing harshly.

_Another bad dream…_

She cursed herself for having such dreams, and right after a most chaotic night. She sighed and lay back down with a thump as she bounced a little on her cushion. Princess Azula wiped sweat from her brow and shut her eyes again. She drifted off into a restless sleep.

* * *

Sure enough, Sokka entered the campsite.

"Sokka, are you alright?" Toph asked quietly.

"I'M FINE! I'm going to bed!" he announced shortly. And no one, not even Toph dared to push him any further. The Water Warrior stormed over to his sleeping bag and lay down with a huff.

The other three people in the campsite stared silently at him with looks of concern and confusion on their faces. No one moved or spoke until Katara stumbled into the campsite, in tears.

"Katara, whatever is wrong?!" Iroh asked urgently.

She shook her head to signal that he would not be told at that point in time and Teo knew to keep quiet.

"Sis, what's wrong?" Sokka asked, suddenly snapped out of his bad mood with everyone else.

The waterbender fell to her knees and doubled over crying. Sokka raced to her side and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"What's wrong? Tell me!" he whispered to her.

She shook her head and he felt slightly offended and hurt that she didn't trust him.

"Do you want to talk to anyone?" Teo asked quietly.

She nodded as she bit her lip to silence her crying and she looked over to her blind friend.

"Toph, I need to talk to you," she sniffed.

Toph understood and helped her up. They moved away from the campsite a little and made sure they were alone and hadn't been followed before either of them spoke.

"He's not convinced, is he?" she asked quietly.

Katara shook her head sadly and kept crying. "Oh, Toph, what do I do? How do I make him see what's really happened?"

The blind earthbender thought for a moment. When an idea hit her, she looked blindly back at Katara. "Let me talk to him – I might be able to at least convince him that there's more to the story than he realizes. That could help, a lot."

Katara nodded and sat down.

"You go back to the campsite when you're ready, I'm going to go and find Zuko now and talk to him."

Toph was about to walk away when Katara spoke again. "Be careful, Toph. Don't let him hurt you."

She smiled at the waterbender, "I won't, I'll be fine, I promise."

With that, she disappeared, leaving Katara to her troubled thought and tears.

* * *

Azula shut her eyes as Sokka pressed his lips to hers. There was a tingling sensation in her stomach as his hands ran up and down her back. But something was wrong; she could feel something pulling her. She turned to see Admiral Shang, wrenching her out of the Water Warrior's embrace and pulling her into his own. She struggled against him and tried to get back to Sokka, but he was hesitating to help her.

"Help! Don't let him take me away from you!" she cried as she reached out to him.

But he turned and ran, and suddenly, there was another woman in his arms. She wore green armor and her face was porcelain white with makeup, all except her eyelids and lips which were painted scarlet and crimson.

"Sokka!" she pleaded desperately.

The boy looked back over to her and saw that she was in danger, as Shang pulled her body up to his. Sokka's eyes widened in fear for her and he let go of the other woman and ran back towards Azula.

"Sokka, wait!" she called to him as he left her.

He stopped again, half way between the green clad woman and the Fire Princess and her forced fiancé.

"Help me"' Azula begged.

"Come back to me! Stay with me!" the other woman told him and she spread her arms out to welcome him back.

Sokka stared at the other woman, looking deep into those brown eyes.

Out of the corner of her eye, Azula saw the Admiral pull a dagger. With the aid of firebending, he heated the blade and he aimed it carefully at the Water Warrior's back. And the Princess knew that Sokka could not be safe if he came to help her; he had to stay with the other woman.

"Sokka! Go back! Go back!" she shouted.

The water boy turned around to look at her just as Shang threw the dagger. He dodged it and ran back towards the other woman.

Azula looked at her, "Get him out of here!"

The woman nodded and took Sokka by the hand and led him away. As they left her, Azula realized that she knew who that woman was. She was a Kyoshi Warrior. Suki.

She nodded at the girl to show that she was to take care of Sokka. And Suki nodded back with tears in her eyes as she silently mouthed, "Thank you."

Sokka and Suki disappeared and Azula shut her eyes tight.

* * *

"I've had it waiting for them. If Katara's still crying when she gets back, wake me up. I'm going to bed." Sokka slumped over in his sleeping bag once more and began to snore almost immediately.

Iroh and Teo looked at each other in shock and confusion; they still had no idea about what was going on. Suddenly, Aang, The Duke and Haru entered the campsite.

"You appear to be the only ones who didn't run here," Iroh told them and they all looked around.

"Where are Katara and Toph and Zuko?" Haru asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"Katara and Zuko are both upset about something and I think it has something to do with each other. Katara wanted to talk to Toph when they left; they should be back soon," the retired general informed them.

Aang sighed and went over to his sleeping bag and lay down with a huff, much like the one Sokka had issued when he had first arrived back at the campsite. He fell asleep within seconds.

"What's with him?" Teo asked quietly, so that he would not reawaken the monk.

"Apparently, he kissed Katara, she got upset because she's in love with someone else and Toph cracked at him for it because it should have been obvious to him," The Duke explained.

"Oooooooooohhhhhhhh," Iroh nodded slowly; things were starting to make sense.

"Well, what should we do about this?" Haru asked, after a moment.

"We need to leave it up to them to solve themselves."

Everyone agreed with Zuko's uncle; they seriously did not want to get caught up with this fight.

* * *

"Zuko?" Toph whispered as she noticed him in the clearing.

He was curled up in a ball with his knees to his chest and his arms folded over them. His forehead rested on his arms and he seemed to be dozing off. But his head shot up as soon as he heard Toph's voice speak his name.

"Toph?" he asked before he could catch sight of her.

"Hi." She came over to him and sat down next to him.

Zuko put his head back in his arms and closed his eyes again as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Why did she do it, Toph?" he asked in a whisper that was accompanied by a sob.

The blind earthbender put a hand on his shoulder and her other rested on top of one of his own. "Zuko, please try to understand; she didn't do it," she breathed into his ear and his jet black hair tickled her nose a little.

He stopped sobbing abruptly. "Wait…" he sniffed. "She-she… she didn't do it?" He gave her a questioning look and Toph knew he needed to hear the explanation from her and her alone.

"Katara didn't kiss Aang," she said simply. "When you pointed them out, I thought she had as well and I jumped to conclusions. But Katara pulled away from him and told him that they could never be together and that she was in love with somebody else. I didn't notice this because of everyone else standing around and interfering with the vibrations she let off. But when I caught up to her, I had a go at her for it and she told me that he had kissed her… and she was telling the truth."

Zuko stared at her with a mixture of faith and uncertainty; he wasn't sure if _she_ was telling the truth or not.

"H-h-how do you know that she wasn't lying?" he stammered.

"Because I could feel it in her heartbeat; Katara can't get past my lie detector," Toph grinned and she was relieved to sense him do the same.

"T-Toph… are you sure?"

The girl didn't need to see to know that his eyes were begging her to tell him that it was all just a big misunderstanding.

"Zuko…" She cupped his face in her hands and made him look straight into her unseeing eyes. "I would never lie to you about something like this. Katara loves you and she's really hurt that you didn't believe her. Nonetheless, she understands why you're finding it hard to trust her and she still loves you. When she got back to the campsite, I talked to her and she is really upset with herself. She thinks it's her fault that you saw Aang kiss her, but the thing is – it's not! She didn't know Aang was going to kiss her and… well, later on I'm going to have to go and apologize to Aang for yelling at him because he didn't know that she was in love with you, so he didn't know that he wasn't suppose to be kissing her," she explained.

"S-so, I yelled at Katara and got her upset for nothing?" the Prince asked, annoyed with himself.

"Yea, pretty much!"

"Oh, monkey feathers!"

Toph giggled a little, "Don't worry yourself, Firefly, she'll forgive you."

He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her. Toph rested her head on his shoulder and they rocked back and forth slowly in each others arms. Toph so desperately wished that he really _was_ her brother and that they had known and loved each other like this their whole lives.

"What should I do?" Zuko asked as he pulled away from her.

Toph smiled at him again, "Come back to the campsite with me; I'll get her to come and talk to you."

* * *

Azula woke with a start.

_Sokka, is he ok?!_

She looked around the room only to realize that she was not being held back by Shang and there was no woman leading Sokka away from her and to safety.

She sighed and calmed down.

Looking outside her window, the Princess could see that it was only a few hours until dawn. Azula knew that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she got up.

Over at her desk, she sat with a picture of her family when it was whole. She stroked the edge of the picture and looked at each of the family members. Herself, when she was happy and naïve, back when she still had her innocence. Zuko, when he was always there for her and anyone else who needed him, back when he thought that nothing bad would happen to him because his parents would always be there for him and always love him. Ozai, looking happy and proud, and above all things, like an ideal leader. And Ursa, her mother, gentle, beautiful and loving. The one who was always there for everyone, even herself and Zuko. The woman who sacrificed herself to save her son. The woman who gave her a half-decent upbringing.

Tears dropped onto the photo as Azula looked at it.

"Mum…" she whispered. "What do I do?"

* * *

Zuko followed Toph back to the campsite. He stopped just before the clearing and Toph went in. Everyone was asleep except for the girl she was looking for.

"Katara?"

The waterbender looked up at the blind girl and wiped a tear from her red eyes. Zuko bit his lip from where he was watching.

"I spoke to Zuko," she told her friend gently.

"And?"

Before Toph could say more the Fire Prince stepped into the clearing. The two older benders looked at each other for a moment in silence before Zuko came and knelt down in front of Katara. He cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head so that she looked him in the eye. And she could see the pain and the self disappointment. She gave him a half smile and put her hands around the wrist that cupped her face. A tear trickled down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Her face cracked into a smile and she shut her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry too." She sobbed onto his shoulder and he rubbed her back.

"I know you are," he whispered to her hair.

She kissed his neck gently and he buried his face in her neck and shoulders.

Toph smiled as she watched the little scene unfold before her.

_A job well done!_

With that, she quietly slipped into her sleeping bag and drifted off. She knew that they would be fine. But she had much to think about; how was she going to go about apologizing to Aang?

_I'll think about it later. I'm too tired._

**

* * *

**

**Aw, was that sweet or what? I thought it was... except for Azula's dreams. They were depressing and creepy, agreed? Well, keep it in mind, cuz it will play a big role in future chapters. Ok, so now, Zuko and Katara have made nice again and now Aang and Toph just need to make nice too. Next chapter will cover that... most likely. I hope you enjoyed that! But no new chapter unless you review – so review!**

**AND JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!!! Check my profile page or ask me for more info ;)**


	20. Saving Sokka

**Presenting, the next chapter of BTL! And before I go any further, I'd like to inform you all that I've done some more planning for the series that this is the first story of. As I might have mentioned earlier, there are going to be at least 3 stories, most likely 4 and if I can get my head around things, maybe even 5 or 6... eventually. So yea, I have ideas, especially for the 2nd and 3rd story. So yea, when this is over, keep your eyes out for the 2nd story in the saga, which I will be calling 'Beneath the Earth', second installment of the 'Beloved' saga.**

**And last of all, thank you to mT for your wonderful reviews! Keep reading! Not just you, mT, all of you! Now, read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

**20. Saving Sokka**

When Iroh woke up, he looked around.

_Is Zuko back yet?_

And much to his relief and joy, Zuko was leaning up against a tree, fast asleep, with Katara in his arms.

_Yes! I knew he'd get a good girl!_

The retired general smiled to himself and looked at them. They looked like they had been crying.

_Perhaps it's whatever they were upset about last night?_

Although their faces were tearstained, they were smiling.

_Now, what on earth did they get up to last night?_

Katara sighed in her sleep and snuggled in towards Zuko a little more. Her head rested on his chest and her arms were draped around his waist. Zuko was holding her up to him and his hands seemed to be playing with her hair, even thought he was defiantly asleep.

_Aw, how cute. Well, I'm thirsty, I think I'll go and make some tea; I think it would be the only thing that could possibly make this fine morning better!_

And make tea Iroh did. And he sat and drank until his nephew and Katara woke up.

"Good morning!" he said cheerily.

Both of them sat up in a hurry, blushing madly at the situation he had caught them in.

"G-good morning…Uncle," Zuko greeted him.

"Now what, may I ask, were you two all upset about last night?" He smiled slyly, as if he already knew the answer. Well, technically he did, but he hadn't heard it first hand from them yet, so it didn't count!

"Uh… nothing, Uncle, nothing at all."

Iroh cocked an eyebrow at him, but chose to let it go. "And how are you this fine morning, Katara?" he asked.

"Um… I'm… good?" she replied uncertainly and Zuko gave his uncle a nudge with his elbow.

"Well, that's good. Did you both sleep well… together?"

At this they all went silent and Zuko and Katara gave each other worried looks. But slowly, slowly, their faces cracked into grins and they all began to laugh.

"Very well, thank you, Mr. Iroh," Katara giggled and Zuko put an arm around her shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his muscular abs and lent on him. But there was a bit of movement behind them as Sokka woke up.

"Who's making all the noise?" he asked grumpily; he was not an early riser and he hated waking up before he needed to. In fact, Sokka did not like waking up in the slightest. He absolutely hated waking up. The Water Warrior always complained about not getting enough sleep or being woken up for no good a reason. It drove Katara insane and she was surprised that she had been able to get use to it.

"Sorry, my fault!" Katara apologized as she and Zuko quickly pushed away from each other before her brother could rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Oh, well I'm awake now! I might as well get up…" the water boy groaned as he stood and stretched out his aching joints. It was evident that he had been crying the previous night and Katara silently cursed herself for having not noticed. _Urgh! Why did I have to be so caught up with my own problems?!_

Pushing her thoughts aside, she changed the subject, "Who wants breakfast?!"

"Sounds good!" Sokka's head shot up at the word and he had a smile on his face.

Katara grinned in satisfaction as she went to her kitchen area near the camp fire.

"Hey, Azula, could you…" The waterbender trialed off as she remembered that the Fire Princess had betrayed them. _Damn! Now I have to do breakfast on my own again! I forgot about that!_

She bit her lip and was grateful that no one had noticed her talk.

* * *

Although she didn't know, Sokka was also biting his bottom lip as he tried to push the thought of his most recent lover out of his head.

_Oh, I hope no one finds out about that…_

_Just don't say anything and they won't._

_Ok…_

With that, the morning dragged on slowly.

* * *

Azula came out of her room as soon as she was dressed. She knew her father was going to be very angry at her, but she knew that she couldn't run away from it all. She just wanted to get this over and done with.

She found her father in a sitting room and she was not at all surprised to see Shang with him. She was, however, surprised to find that they both greeted her with a genuine smile when she entered the room.

"My dear, come sit down with us," Ozai gestured and Azula had no choice but to seat herself beside the Admiral.

_What's going on? _She was really confused. _The calm before the storm?_ She shook this thought from her head and concentrated on what the two men were saying.

"…was just telling me of what a lovely evening he had with you last night," the Fire Lord said with a fake smile. "I'm so glad that you are finally getting along nicely with him."

At this point, the Admiral gave her a smile; she returned it nervously, but did not show her doubt.

"Anyway, you are getting married tomorrow! Isn't that grand?! You must go and make those last minute preparations, and I also must be going and attending to my own business." With that, Ozai stood and left the room. Just before he exited, he shot his daughter a look that said _you're lucky that you didn't screw up on that one._

She and Shang rose at the same time and headed for the opposite door to go and make last minute wedding preparations, but she rounded on him before they could leave the room.

"Why didn't you tell him what really happened?" Azula asked shortly.

"Because –" He pulled her engagement necklace out of his pocket. "– I know that what I was doing was wrong. I jumped to conclusions and it made me do something stupid." He placed the necklace around her neck. "And I'm sorry. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to get you in to trouble for something that was my fault."

Azula stayed stock still for a moment in confusion. "Well… that was very…very kind of you, Shang," she smiled.

He bowed his head a little and then took her arm and looped it around his and they walked like that towards where some maids were waiting for them.

"What's left to do?" the Fire Princess asked.

"Not much, we just have to finish sorting out some of the decorating."

And so the day dragged on.

* * *

When everyone had awoken and eaten, everyone got straight down to business.

"Ok, we are invading the Fire Nation tomorrow people! Let's get it right!" Sokka called as everyone gathered around the map once more.

"Ok, from what Sokka and I have figured out from this mystery map –" Teo indicated to the map in front of them. "– the prisoners should be located in here –" He pointed to an area in the center of the map, right on the edge of the palace.

"If we go in through the back allies that we've marked out –" Sokka indicated to a series of pathways that he had marked. They were small, insignificant roads. "– then we should be able to get in and out of the city, unnoticed."

"I disagree," Katara and Zuko said at the same time and Toph and Iroh gave each other a thumbs up as they smiled and giggled quietly to themselves.

"There's going to be a whole army going from the palace, down these roads and out here. Someone's bound to notice," the waterbender explained as Zuko scowled at his uncle and Toph.

"Wrong again, Sis!" Sokka wagged a finger in her face. He paused for a moment to build up the suspense. "There will only be a small group of people going along this road, I was thinking that maybe you, me, Zuko and The Duke could do that job. And we won't be coming back to the campsite along this road either. And we definitely won't be coming back here; we are going to need to make a camp closer to the base of the mountains, so that we won't have so far to travel."

"What's going to happen is Toph, Aang and Haru are going to go underground and make a tunnel. The group travelling along the road are going to guide the underground group, so that they know where to tunnel to. Toph is going to take charge under there and tell the others where to bend the earth so that they can follow them to the prison," Teo took over. "Once the people above ground are in the prison, they start jumping up and down until the underground group tunnel into the area. Take out the guards first, if you can."

"Wow! This is a really good plan, guys! I'm impressed!" Katara chimed.

"You don't say…" Zuko murmured.

"Anyway, after that, you all work together to get he prisoners out and then you all come back via the tunnel. One of the underground team are going to have to stay up the back and cave the tunnel in as you leave… just to stop anything hazardous happening in the future," Sokka finished.

Everyone clapped.

"Well done, Teo! Well done, Sokka!" the Avatar cheered.

"Thank you mysterious map-sender!" Sokka shouted to the sky. Little did he know, he was trying so desperately to forget about her.

"Ok, so that's settled. Toph, Aang and Haru, you are the underground group, you make the tunnel and one of you caves it in when you come back. Zuko, Katara, Sokka and The Duke, you are the above ground group and you walk right up to that prison and you help get those warriors back!" Teo encouraged. "When we all get back, Sokka and I will explain the invasion plan itself. What's going to happen is, we're gonna divide the soldiers into four close-to-even groups. And we're going to surround the city. After a certain amount of time, whether everyone is ready or not, we're gonna start moving in. The soldiers are only allowed to move in when they have reached their posts. They will not be charging into the city, but sneaking, very … uh … sneakily. Aang, Zuko, Toph, Iroh, Katara and Sokka, you will be going straight to the palace. Me and the others will be either in the groups surrounding the city or doing other things. I might end up staying back here to help with the sick and injured; the battle field is no place for a paraplegic," Teo said sadly.

"Now, I don't think that's quite true. If you just put your mind to it, I think you could end up being a great warrior!" the Prince tried to encourage and the young boy gave him a faint smile.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"So that's settled then, that's the plan. We're all set!" Sokka announced, gleefully.

"Tomorrow, we win this war!" Haru chanted.

"Tomorrow, the Fire Lord is going down!" Toph shouted.

"Tomorrow, the world will finally have peace," Zuko thought out loud.

"Tomorrow, my Nephew, you will become the _new_ Fire Lord!" Iroh said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hey yea! Firefly, you're gonna be Fire Lord!" Toph clapped him hard on the back. "I almost forgot!"

"Well, start remembering! You'll be coming to visit me," he punched her gently in the arm.

"She will be?" Aang asked.

"Say what?!" Sokka screwed up his face.

"Sokka, don't be feral minded! You're all gonna come and visit me! I mean, ok, I can't exactly get bored with my Uncle around, but I would like some company of my own age!"

The water boy sighed and his shoulders slumped again.

"So… what are you going to do when you become Fire Lord?" Katara asked.

"Well… I… uh…"

"Well, every Fire Lord needs a Fire Lady!" Iroh nudged her in the ribs and Toph burst out laughing.

"UNCLE! UNNECESSARY!" Zuko shouted.

He started laughing too and so did everyone else... although, Sokka had a slightly bemused look on his face.

"So, what do we do now?" Aang asked.

"We train," Zuko said simply.

With that, everyone got up and started training Aang.

* * *

When all the last minute preparations had been made for the wedding, Azula when back up to her room, feeling exhausted, confused and depressed all in one. She shut her door gently behind her as she entered the room and lay down on the bed to gaze up at the ceiling. She had so much to think about.

_I'm about to give up my whole life… my love…my freedom, all to this man that I hate!_ _But what's he up to? One minute he's trying to rape me and then he's apologizing to me for doing it and saying it's completely his fault. What is with that?_

Her brow was furrowed as she remembered that morning's conversation.

"_**Why didn't you tell him what really happened?"**_

"_**Because I know that what I was doing was wrong. I jumped to conclusions and it made me do something stupid, and I'm sorry. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to get you in to trouble for something that was my fault."**_

"_**Well… that was very…very kind of you, Shang."**_

She was so confused and it was really starting to annoy her.

_On the other hand, although he might have jumped to conclusions, they weren't the wrong conclusions; he thought I had a place in my heart for Sokka… and I did._

_Sokka…_ _if only you knew the whole truth. If only I could tell you… and everyone else with you, Zuko, Aang and __**everyone**__, then maybe things would have been ok between us. Maybe you would have stopped me from doing this._

_You are invading tomorrow though… but what if you see me?! What will you do then, when you see me standing next to him in a wedding dress?! Will you stop me? Would you save me from condemning myself and risk ruining your mission when I see you and look at you, begging you to help me and to understand?_

The Fire Princess bit her bottom lip and squeezed her eyes shut as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I have to do this, and if you try and stop me… then there won't be a chance of you defeating my father. And this time is sure to be your last chance before the comet comes, and then after that… he'll be unstoppable," she whispered to herself.

She reached under her pillow and took out the picture of her mother. She stroked the edge of the picture lovingly, with her gentle fingertips and she bit back a sob.

"What am I doing, Mum? What am I supposed to do?" She looked into the eyes of the picture, but they only stared back. "How do I keep Sokka safe? How do I tell him not to try and stop the wedding? What do I do?!"

Beginning to become frustrated, smoke started issuing from her knuckles. She shoved the picture back under her pillow and went over to her window.

Azula could see the whole of the Fire Nation capital city that sat before the palace from her window. She could see everything, right up to the sea, and then the deep blue ocean stretched gracefully and mysteriously to the horizon.

The sun was setting and the sky and water was painted in gold, pink, red and orange as the shadows from the buildings in front of her stretched towards her.

She sighed. Right at that moment, looking out over the world, everything seemed peaceful, harmonized and perfect.

_Why can't life be like the sun set? Always beautiful, always relaxing and always perfect?_

_My life seems to be the complete opposite to the sun set; in stead of peaceful it seems more like a terrifying rollercoaster ride! It's not harmonized in the slightest; I've been brought into a family feud because of a war that's been going on for a century! And so many things are wrong in my life… it is far, __**far, far, FAR**__ from perfect!_

The Fire Princess sighed and tried to forget about all of the terrible things going on around her and get rid of all of the confusion about Shang and Sokka; she just wanted to enjoy the moment.

And a thought suddenly hit her, as if it had been dropped from above her head. She contemplated it for a moment, but she really didn't like it. But then, when had she like very many things recently?

_I'm marrying Shang, and that's final. But what if Sokka really __**does**__ try to save me when they work out why I left… __**if**__ they do?! __It's just like in my dream; he'd put himself and everyone else in so much danger, and then he'd only end up getting hurt and causing the mission to defeat the Fire Lord to fail. But he's not going to try and stop me if he finds someone else…_

"I need to let go…" she whispered to herself.

She looked in the direction of the prison near the palace. It had once held her uncle and Zuko had visited him there on many occasions while they had both been there in the Fire Nation. But it now held new prisoners.

As well as prisoners of war from the attempt to attack the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun, the prison also held some prisoners that Azula had captured with Mai and Ty Lee. They had left them in Be Sing Se, but had recently had them imported to the capital city. They were a group of warrior women; the Kyoshi Warriors.

And Azula knew very well what she had to do to save Sokka.

"It's time I made a visit."

* * *

It was a few hours past sunset and Azula had told her father that she was going to bed. But once in her room, the Princess put on a cloak with a hood, and she pulled it over her head so that her face was hidden.

She carefully crept from her room and from the palace, down hallways and corridors, past servants and maids who had their backs turned, down a staircase and into the foyer without as much as a peep. She had to stay completely silent or risk blowing her cover.

Once she was out of the palace grounds, her previously tense body relaxed as she jogged along towards the prison. When she got to the entrance, her muscles grew taught again and she held her breath. After a few empty corridors she began to relax once more, but just as she reached the third flight of stairs of the prison, an angry shout issued from behind her.

"Hey, who do you think you are?! Get back here!"

A guard grabbed her forearm and she turned around in a frenzy and pushed him against the wall with much more force than necessary and with one hand over his mouth. But her hood slipped back off her head to reveal her face and the guard goggled at her in surprise.

"Listen closely," she whispered with a voice that held authority. "I'm visiting a cell. You are gonna keep watch out here and pretend you don't know and you aren't gonna tell anyone. Because if you do …" Azula extracted a dagger from beneath her cloak and the hand over his mouth heated up. "You'll have to answer to me." She held the sharp edge of the razor blade alarmingly close to his head and twirled it carefully but menacingly in her fingers. "Understand?"

The guard nodded feebly as nervous sweat dripped down the back of his neck.

"Answer me properly," Azula hissed in his ear as she removed her hand from his mouth.

"Y-y-yes… y-y-you're h-h-h-highness," he stuttered.

With that, Princess Azula let go of him and walked away, in the direction of her destination, pulling her hood back over her head as she went.

* * *

Sokka sat alone on the opposite side of the campsite to the others. They were all sitting around the campfire, eating dinner, telling jokes, laughing, making toasts to each other and to peace and to luck for the next day's battle.

But he wasn't hungry. He didn't want to tell jokes and he wasn't in a mood to laugh. He was too deep in thought to join in the revelry. All he could bring himself to do was gaze up at the moon.

_Yue… can you help me? I've moved on from you, but now I'm caught between the enemy who broke my heart and the ally who might not even be alive any more. What do I do? Who am I suppose to be with?_

As much as Sokka tried, he couldn't push Azula out of his head. But he couldn't stop thinking about Suki either.

Was Suki dead or was she safe? Was Azula really evil or was she hiding something? Was Suki thinking about him if she was alive or had she found another man? Did Azula ever really love him in the first place or had she just been using him? Would Suki find him when the war was over or would they never see each other again? Would Azula join them for real tomorrow when it was all over or would she stay true to her father?

There was just so many questions Sokka didn't know the answer to, but there was so much he didn't want to know. But he didn't have any more time to think about it when Zuko came over to him.

"What are you up to? Don't you want dessert?" the Prince asked, indicating over his shoulder to the campfire where the others sat, still oblivious to the two older boys.

"I'm not hungry," Sokka informed him, bluntly.

"That, I find hard to believe. Are you alright?"

Sokka stayed silent for a moment as he thought of how he should answer the Fire Prince.

"I'm fine."

Zuko could tell simply by his stone-cold tone and the fact that his facial expression was unmoving that Sokka didn't want to talk about whatever he was thinking about.

Zuko knew how he felt. He had spent years keeping everything bottled up inside when he really needed to talk to someone. He knew now that it was bad to keep it all to yourself and that, as much as Sokka didn't want to do it right now, the best thing for him was to share his troubles with someone.

"I think you should tell me what's wrong. I can tell something's up, so don't bother denying it."

"No, Zuko. I'm fine," he whispered. Zuko wasn't the slightest bit convinced.

"If you won't tell me, will you at least tell Katara? I'm sure she can help you; she's your sister," he pushed, trying to reason with the water boy.

But Sokka wouldn't budge. "Go and eat your dessert," he answered him.

Frustrated, Zuko thought of what his uncle would do.

"Sokka, I know that whatever's going on, you might not want to talk about it. But sometimes, the best things to do at times like these _is _to –"

"Zuko! Just leave me!" His tone had gone completely bitter and the Prince knew it would be unwise to continue pushing him. He nodded and went back to the others without another word.

* * *

Azula entered the corridor of prison cells. Sure enough, a large group of war prisoners dressed in greens and blues were sitting in their cells. They all watched the new comer closely as she strolled past them, looking for one particular prisoner. Finally, she spotted the group of girls she would be among, stuck in the same prison cell at the end of the passage. And there she was, looking at the hooded figure in curiosity.

"Suki?" the Princess asked in a gentle tone so as not to make herself noticeably Azula.

"Y-yes?" the woman asked uncertainly.

"You are the leader of the Kyoshi Warrior's, right?"

"Yes," she answered proudly.

"And you are all friends of the Avatar's?" Azula asked loud enough for everyone inside the corridor to hear.

They all nodded silently to the strange, hooded woman.

"What's it to you?" Suki asked, hands on her hips.

Azula smiled from beneath the hood, "They're coming for you. Tomorrow."

A round of whispers and murmurs issued all around her of both excitement and suspicion.

"How would you know?" one of the men dressed in blue asked. He had two dreadlocks with blue beads hanging in front of his face and his voice was gentle but firm.

"Because, I have been with the group recently and have helped them. I know their plans and they plan to come and rescue you all tomorrow and then attack the Fire Lord. I am on your side of the war and I'm not planning to tell my fa… Fire Lord, of the plans."

There was silence for a moment, then the Water Tribe's man spoke, "How do we know we can trust you?"

"You'll just have to. I can't make you. But be ready to fight tomorrow. They're coming for you in the morning."

Excitement filled everyone's murmurs and less suspicion was noticeable, but she could tell these prisoners still didn't fully trust her.

"I will only fully trust you if you show us who you are," Suki declared.

Azula gulped.

"Yea!"

"Take off the hood!"

"Show us your face!"

Some people pushed her and she bit her lip. If these people discovered who she was, then they would never trust her.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You're just going to have to trust me the way I am." She turned and began to leave. Only one thing made her stop; she remembered what had given her the idea to come here in the first place. She turned back to the Kyoshi Warriors and addressed Suki. "Sokka is your lover, am I right?"

Wide-eyed, Suki nodded slowly.

Azula smiled as a tear raced down her cheek and fell to the ground at her feet, "Take care of him." With that, she turned and left, leaving everyone, especially Suki, in a shocked and confused state.

The whole time back to the palace, she kept reminding herself, it was to save Sokka. She was saving Sokka. It had to be done.

* * *

**Alright, there was more Sokkla in this chapter than Zutara, I know, but you'll all get over it. So, how did you all like it? I really liked writing it and things are coming close to their climax. I mean, hello! The invasion starts tomorrow – in the story – and so... yea! Keep reading and guess what people, I'm not updating until I get three (3) reviews! I haven't been getting very many lately (tear) so yea. 3 reviews or no update. Now go and review! Lol.**

**OH, AND JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!!!**


	21. ATTENTION! Urgent AN!

**ATTENTION – URGENT MESSAGE!**

**Hey there fic friends. How's life?**

**So look, I only got 2 reviews for chapter 20 which I aired last week and chapter 19 from the week before. Today's my airing day, but I haven't got enough reviews. I won't update Behind the Lies until I get a third review for BOTH of those chapters. So if you're sitting there, reading my story silently but without reviewing, please stop being like that and review so that I can post chapter 21. I'll air it as soon as I have those reviews, even if it's the day before I'm meant to be airing the next one. (Sigh) C'mon peeps! The battle begins in chapter 21 and the longer it takes for those reviews, the longer you'll have to wait to find out what happens!!! And I'm DYING to tell you! :'(**

**So, I guess, thank you to the people who reviewed last chapter. And chapter nineteen. And to the person who leaves a review for chapters 19 and 20, I'll give you a mention in my next A/N, even if you're anonymous.  
**

**So yea, please review my last two chapters.**

**XD**

**A~A~A**


	22. 21: The Invaders, Part 1: The Rescue

**Ok, I got 2 reviews after I sent out the urgent A/N, so yea, thank you to Scorpia-Of-The-Desert for being the first person to give me that third review and thank you to mT who also gave me a review. ;) Well, both of you gave me that review TO the A/N, so I won't delete it, just incase it deletes the reviews too, but here's chapter 21 anyways! So yea, read, review and enjoy!**

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**21. The Invaders, Part 1: The Rescue**

Katara woke up before the sun rose that morning. She knew they would have to leave early and so she needed to make breakfast earlier still. But as she sat up in her sleeping bag, she realized that Aang was already awake.

He was sitting up near the campfire, looking into the dying embers in a trance. She could tell he was deep in thought and he was troubled.

"Aang?" she asked quietly and he twisted around to face her, slightly shocked.

"Oh…hey Katara," he smiled weakly.

The waterbender could see that he was facing some internal battle and knew from his eyes that he needed some advice.

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," he lied, but he knew that she wasn't convinced.

She came and sat by the fire with him. "I know you're lying. Tell me what's wrong," she whispered to him with a hand on his back.

He smiled at her and grew more confident, "I'm just really nervous. In a few hours, we'll be marching right into the city to free the invasion warriors, but… what if something goes wrong? And then a few hours after that, we're meant to be actually invading the city. I'm supposed to fight the Fire Lord. What if I can't defeat him?" He seemed to go ghostly white.

She put a hand on his shoulder for comfort and reassurance.

"Aang, I know you're nervous, but it's ok. I've been watching you right from the moment you came out of that iceberg and I've seen you. You are among the best, if not _the_ best bender I've ever seen. I know you're scared and I know you doubt yourself, but believe me, you can do this," she smiled.

The Avatar smiled back at her. "Thanks, Katara," he almost laughed. "Thanks a million."

"No worries, Aang," she got up to begin to make breakfast, but before she could take so much as a step away, Aang spoke again.

"Katara?"

"Yes?"

"Listen… about the other night at the dance…" He bit his lip as he remembered. "I'm… I'm sorry I kissed you," he mumbled, eyes downcast.

She looked at him as he concentrated on the ground as if it were actually interesting.

"It doesn't matter now, Aang. It's fine," she assured him with a fake smile. She knew it wasn't _really _fine; she just didn't want to hurt him.

She turned and began to pull out a pot and the rice to begin making the food when Aang spoke again.

"Katara?"

"Yes?" she asked wearily. She really hoped that he wouldn't ask her anymore questions or mention the dance.

"When… when I kissed you, you s-said that you were in love with… somebody else," he managed, but Katara could tell it hurt him. "Who… who are you in love with?"

Katara couldn't find her voice at that point.

_What should I say? Should I tell him I'm with Zuko? Should I tell him that I'm not in love with him and that I never will be? What should I do?! Why does he need to be so damn nosy! _

She really didn't want to answer, but the look in his eyes told her that he wasn't letting the question go unanswered.

"I…"

"Good morning you two. You're all up a bit early, aren't you?"

Both Katara and Aang whipped around at the sound of Zuko's voice and they noticed him getting out of his sleeping bag and coming to sit with them around the fire.

"Why are you up so early?" he asked.

"It's nothing. We were just talking," Aang smiled, but it was obviously fake.

Katara, on the other hand, stayed silent for a moment as she got up and went to start making breakfast.

When Sokka woke up, he and Aang went to look for some firewood.

"We need some decent wood or we'll never get breakfast cooked until dinner!" he complained loudly, waking Toph and Haru. The Duke, Teo and Iroh kept snoring.

Haru and Toph sat together and they began to talk about the past and things they once did with their families. But as Katara cooked the rice, she felt Zuko come up behind her.

"Are you ok?" he whispered to her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" He started cutting some of the berries up for her to cook them and he gently bumped his arm against hers to make her look at him. "I heard you and Aang talking. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she assured him with a weak smile. "I'm just not ready for him to find out who I'm in love with. I think it's best to wait till after the invasion to tell him, so at least he's finished the war before he has to go through any more hurt. He already knows that I'm in love with someone else, he just doesn't know it's you."

Zuko cast a look over his shoulder and bit his lip; Aang wasn't back with Sokka yet and no one else was looking, but he could tell by the way she sat that Toph was trying to sense exactly what they were doing.

He stopped cutting and put the knife down and quickly turned to Katara and pulled her into a hug.

"Zuko! What are you doing?!" she gasped, but she couldn't stop herself from hugging him back.

"Listen to me, Aang has to find out eventually. We won't tell him right now if you're not ready to, but he trusts us, so we need to be honest with him. Promise me we'll tell him and the others before the comet comes," he whispered into her hair.

"I… I promise." She only hesitated for a moment before she said it.

He cupped her face in his hands and made her look at him and she smiled.

"It's all going to be alright," he promised her as he drew his face closer to hers.

She smiled at him and shut her eyes as she waited for him to make the next move.

"Hey! Katara, you better have breakfast ready to cook or I'm gonna –" Sokka stop short as they quickly jumped away from each other, blushing madly and trying to hide what they had been about to do. But Sokka wasn't that stupid. "Hey! What they hell do you think you were about to – WHAH!" Toph quickly sent him flying into a tree with an earth pillar and Haru and Aang both goggled in confusion.

Iroh, The Duke and Teo all sat up in shock as he dropped unconscious.

"What happened?" Aang asked, dazed.

"Sorry, I just felt like knocking him out because I was going to… um…" Toph had to think quickly. "Play a practical joke on him. But only me, Katara and Zuko know what this joke is about. It's a secret," she smiled, almost evilly.

"Uh… ok. What's the next step to our prank, Prank-Master Toph," Zuko played along, seeming to understand her intentions.

"Uh… well, er… let's put him back in his sleeping bag and Katara, quickly heal his head so that it won't hurt when he wakes up."

"Then, what do we say if he remembers what he saw?" Katara asked.

"We'll… just pretend that we haven't got a clue what he's on about and make him think it was just a dream!" Toph was actually enjoying herself.

"That's a great idea, Toph!" Katara smiled.

"Yea!"

They quickly put the unconscious water boy in his sleeping bag and Katara healed his head. He groaned in his sleep and she, Toph and Zuko got away from him. Toph sat with Haru and Aang near the fire, Zuko sat by his sleeping bag with his uncle and Teo and The Duke to explain to them not to worry about what was happening and Katara went into the kitchen.

"BREAKFAST!" she called, and Sokka sat up quickly.

"Mwrah?" he asked dumbly and everyone started laughing. He got up and looked around silently for a moment. "What happened?" he asked lamely.

"Um… you woke up," Zuko said obviously.

Sokka scratched his head for a moment and then his eyes widened in anger as he jumped up to face the Fire Prince. "You were about to kiss Katara!" he shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at him.

"What?!" Zuko's voice couldn't stay steady.

"Sokka! Th-that's ridiculous! Why would Zuko have been about to kiss me?!" Katara asked, pretending to sound disgusted. The look Zuko gave her told her that he was impressed at her acting skills.

"But I saw you! With my own eyes!"

"Sokka, what are you talking about?" Toph asked, calmly.

"Yea, why would Zuko try to kiss Katara?" Aang asked, naively.

Sokka looked downright confused.

"Sokka, you've been asleep until Katara called breakfast!" Haru laughed.

"Huh?" Sokka asked in confusion.

Everyone was silent for a moment and Aang and Sokka looked between everyone in confusion. Iroh, The Duke and Teo were still half asleep and Haru just knew to play along with what Toph was doing for fear of spoiling a perfect practical joke... and then being severely punished by the blind girl.

"I think you must have just been dreaming, Sokka," Katara assured him with a sympathetic smile.

Sokka shook his head in confusion and sighed. He got out of his sleeping bag and tried to forget about the terrible 'dream'.

"I'm hungry. Katara, is breakfast ready yet?"

"Not yet. Can you please put this on the fire for me?" She thrust the pot towards him as he got up and walked towards her.

He nodded and took it and put it over the flames after rekindling it.

_Wait... didn't she just wake me up by yelling that breakfast was ready?! Urgh... forget it!_

Everyone spent the rest of the morning in awkward silence. Toph ate in silent laughter and Zuko had to reheat her food twice because of how long it took her to stop laughing.

* * *

Azula got up slowly and unhappily. She really wished this was all just some terrible dream. It just didn't seem fair at all that this had to happen.

But she knew there was no other way. It had to be done for the sake of peace. It had to be done to save Sokka and it had to be done to save Zuko. And she didn't need any more reasons than that for her to do it, even though she knew there were plenty more.

She slowly went and washed up.

* * *

"Aang?" Toph whispered to the Avatar as they packed up their sleeping bags while the others rushed around doing their own things.

"Yea?" he asked, slightly nervous.

"Listen… about the other night, I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just…" She wasn't sure exactly what to say. "You really upset Katara when you kissed her because…"

Was that enough? It seemed suitable to her. Was is a suitable answer for him?

"It doesn't matter now, Toph. I know I should have given a bit more warning that I was going to kiss her so that she could have stopped me if she didn't want me to. I'm sorry I upset her and I'm sorry that it upset you," he said it solemnly, but Toph could tell he was hurt.

"It's alright, Twinkletoes," she smirked and punched him in the arm. "Just don't do it again."

He laughed nervously and nodded as they loaded the sleeping bags onto Appa's saddle.

"Ok, everyone got everything?" Sokka asked, and everyone nodded. "Ok, good, let's go!"

Everyone got onto Appa's back and they were flying with a simple "Yip-yip!"

* * *

Suki lay awake in the prison cell. She could tell that everyone else was awake too, but everyone was too anxious to do anything but think.

_Who was the mysterious visitor last night? Was she telling the truth? Can she be trusted? Are we all really going to be rescued today? Would the new plan go right? Was it going right so far? Had any of them been caught yet?_

Suki silently prayed that they were all safe. She hoped that everything would be all right. She sat up and all the girls in her cell with her looked anxiously at her.

"C'mon girls, let's be ready just in case the woman was telling the truth."

With that, the Kyoshi Warriors all rose from their beds and did what they could to prepare to leave their prison. Slowly, the male warriors from the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe began to follow suit.

"So, how do you know Sokka?" a man asked.

Suki turned to see it was the same man that had spoken last night. After that, she realized that the question was directed to her.

"He… he's my boyfriend," she said.

The man's eyes widened and he nodded with a smile. Then, he extended his hand out of his cell towards hers.

"My name is Hakoda. It's nice to finally meet you, Suki," he smiled.

"Hakoda…?" she murmured. The name sounded familiar to her and as she looked into the man's eyes she realized why. "Wait, you're Sokka and Katara's dad?!"

The Chief nodded and she smiled. She reached out and took his hand and shook it, "Nice to meet you too, Chief Hakoda."

* * *

"Ok, that looks like the perfect place!" Sokka pointed down at a clearing that they were just about to fly over. Appa dropped the few meters out of the air and landed.

There was only a small hill between them and the city from that clearing. They could easily access everything and they were at the closest point to the prison where they could still hide.

"Alright, Aang, Toph, Haru, start tunneling. Teo and Iroh, start unpacking the necessary things for when we get back with the invaders. There might be a few people staying back here due to injury and you're going to need to take care of them. Zuko, Katara, The Duke, come with me! Let's do this," Sokka instructed.

He sounded just like the perfect leader and Katara actually stopped to smile and admire him in pride. She followed him as Zuko and The Duke walked forwards, through the trees, up the hill and into the city.

It was still early as they walked into the city and no one was up and about outside, but Katara noticed that there were a lot of people moving around in the houses. She guessed that they were all getting ready for this wedding, but she couldn't be certain.

She kept following the boys and kept an eye out all around her for anyone that was following them. She took note that Zuko was wearing his hood up to hide his scar which would give him away.

As they walked up to the prison, they all grew tense at the sight of a guard, on his own, placed outside of the entrance of the venue.

"Stay here," Zuko whispered to the others as he got up and snuck towards the guard. The armored man was facing one way as Zuko came up from behind and when the Prince stopped right behind him he turned around and the look on his face told them all that he had seriously shitted himself as Zuko pushed him up against the wall and knocked him out.

The Fire Prince signaled for the others to come and they all met him outside the prison entrance. They snuck inside silently and ran along the corridors, like whispers.

"Do you actually know where we're going?" Sokka asked in annoyance after a few corridors with him in the lead.

"Yes, according to the map, they should be exactly where my uncle was when he was here. I visited him a few times. It's just another corridor up."

They raced up there in silence and the guard on patrol outside their destination didn't have time to even shriek before Sokka knocked him out with his boomerang. The group slipped inside the passage and into a row of cells. But it was so dark in there compared to where they had just been.

"Sokka?" a familiar man's voice spoke from the undecipherable dark shapes in the room. "Katara?"

"Dad?!" the two of them exclaimed as they finally adjusted to the lighting. They ran up to his cell door and hugged him through the bars.

"Hey, Sokka!"

"I haven't seen you in a while, Katara."

"What took you so long?"

Came the greetings from the other Water Tribe prisoners.

"Sokka?" a single woman's voice came from the very back of the prison.

He turned and his heart skipped a beat. "SUKI!" He ran and gave her a hug through the bars and all of the other girls in the cell laughed and teased as she hugged him back. "I missed you so much! I was so worried!"

"Urgh! What took you so long to come?! I miss you so much!" she sobbed.

"Who's she?" Zuko asked in confusion. He had figured out that the man both water siblings had hugged was their father, but who was this woman?

"Her name is Suki. She's Sokka's girlfriend," Katara explained.

"Oh. Hey, nice to meet you," Zuko smiled in a slight daze. Since when did Sokka have a girlfriend? Or had he mentioned her before and he just couldn't remember? Yea, maybe that was it...

"Hey! I know you! What are you doing here?!" Suki demanded of the Prince, who gaped at her in shock and a small but growing fear.

"Huh? Um… do I know you?"

"Yea, you kinda burned down my village. On Kyoshi Island while you were trying to capture the Avatar, remember?" she snapped, glaring daggers at him.

"Oh, um…yea, uh… s-sorry about that, eh he…" He could feel the sweat dripping down his back.

"Hey, yea. If forgot you did that," Sokka remembered.

"But I didn't see you there," Zuko said although he'd meant to change the subject.

"Actually, yes you did. You just didn't recognize me because I… um… never mind… uh…" Sokka trailed off.

"Because he was wearing a dress and Kyoshi Warrior makeup," Katara finished for him and Zuko started laughing along with The Duke. "Yea," Katara laughed. Then she raised her voice so that everyone could hear. "This is Prince Zuko. He's on our side of the war and he's not loyal to the Fire Lord. He's Aang's firebending teacher and he's a good person. Don't judge him by what he is or what he has done in his past. He's changed and he's one of us now."

After a moment of registering this new information, everyone nodded, a little uncertainly and untrusting.

"All I want in the world right now is peace and I'll do whatever I need to in order to help overthrow my father and end this pointless war," Zuko announced for himself.

And some more of the warriors nodded a little more firmly and trustingly. The trust slowly spread and everyone decided to just accept that not all firebenders could be that bad.

"Ok, now we're going to get you all out of here. We're taking underground tunnels out of here, but Toph needs us to jump up and down so that she knows to tunnel up now," Sokka announced.

"Um… ok… I guess," everyone mumbled in uncertainty. Did he honestly expect them to all start jumping around like complete and total idiots?

"Well, if that's how we're going to get out…" Suki sighed in her cell. "C'mon girls." She started bouncing up and down and the other Kyoshi Warriors followed.

"That's it. C'mon everyone!" Katara started jumping and so did Zuko and The Duke, his helmet falling over his eyes.

Slowly, starting with Hakoda and Bato, the other men in the prison started jumping as well, and soon enough, the rumble of moving earth could be heard and the metal floor buckled away to reveal Toph, Haru and Aang.

"Sup?" she greeted them all casually.

"Toph!" the two other earthbender wrestlers smiled in joy.

"Haru!" a man called from a cell of earthbenders.

"Dad!" they hugged each other tightly through the bars of the cell.

Toph approached that cell and bent the metal door away.

"Everyone go into the hole when I free you from your prison. No pushing!" she ordered as she moved to the next cell.

"Aang, lead the group back. Mr. Haru, you can stay with us until Haru goes back if you want," Sokka said.

Toph went thought and freed everyone from their cells.

"Where's Teo?! Where's my son?!" the mechanist asked eagerly.

"He's back at the camp," Aang pointed down the tunnel and the man disappeared with the rest of his group as Toph freed the Kyoshi Warriors and the last of the Water Tribe warriors, including Chief Hakoda.

Suki raced into Sokka's arms immediately and wrapped hers around him and kissed him.

"C'mon, let's go." They all filed down the tunnel and Toph closed it up behind them.

It was a long procession of darkness for them, all up the back. It was so long that Aang was so far ahead of them that they couldn't see his lit up hand. After a moment, Zuko remembered that he could be a torch as well and he lit one of his palms. Katara smiled at him in the faint light and he smiled back as she slipped one of her hands into the unlit one of his. It was too dark for anyone else to notice them as they trouped back to camp.

They were the last ones out of the tunnel and everyone was rushing around, getting ready to invade, when they stepped into the campsite. Iroh was organizing them all in close-to-even groups to surround the city and it just proved that the Great Dragon of the West was still an extraordinary leader, even if he was retired.

This was it. Everything was set.

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**Ok, next chapter, the REAL, REAL action begins. That was sorta just a warm-up... could you tell? Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I liked writing it. Now, you all have 6 days to get a minimum of 3 reviews to me, or no update next week. Got it? **

**Alright, JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**

**Now review! Please :D**


	23. 22:The Invaders P2: Crashing the Wedding

**And finally! The moment you've all been waiting for – the battle begins! Oh, and... well, you'll see what my other little surprise in this chapter is when you read it. I don't want to spoil too much for you! But I can assure you that you'll all be grateful that I finally did it! XD R&R and enjoy! **

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**22. The Invaders, Part 2: Crashing the Wedding**

Azula looked into the mirror as Ty Lee brushed out her hair and Mai tightened her dress so that the collar didn't hang too low and expose too much of her skin. Just as in her dreams, it was white with red and gold trimmings and it dragged along the floor. But her veil was red and gold too, not black.

The Princess was lost in thought as she looked into her reflection. It was almost time for the wedding to start. People will have been getting ready since sunrise.

Were the others ready? Had the Avatar already gotten the prisoners out of their cell? Were they ready to start the invasion? The Fire Princess hoped to Agni that they knew what they were doing and that they were ready. She hoped that her sacrifice would not be in vain.

"I guess this is it then," she whispered as her friends stepped back. "I'm getting married."

"But it's Shang. Surely you don't have to, there must be another way!" Ty Lee half sobbed.

"I already told you I'm pregnant with his child and my father is not the kind to change his mind once he's made one choice. He wants me to marry Shang and so I have no choice but to."

"But you don't love him… you absolutely hate him. Doesn't your father care for your happiness?"

"No, Mai. There is so much more I haven't told you about me and my life and my family than you could imagine. And I'm not planning to share that much of it with you very soon!" Tears streamed down the brides cheeks, ruining her makeup.

"Oh, here," Mai tried to wipe the running eyeliner off her powder white cheek, but the Princess caught her hand and pushed it away.

"I can do it myself. Now, can you two go? I can't be around anyone just now," she admitted with her head bowed.

Her friends left silently and the Princess sobbed a few times before taking a deep breath, composing herself and redoing her makeup.

She crept over to her bed and reached under the pillow to extract the picture of her mother. She looked at it and had to fight hard to keep back more tears. Another deep breath and she sank to her knees by the foot of her bed as she lay the picture down in front of her. Her hands clasped in front of her, she said in a quiet voice; "Ok, Fate, you brought me here and you're the one who's meant to control what happens to everyone, including me. So, what do you want me to do? I'm here; please tell me you're going to somehow make this turn out ok." She went quiet as if waiting for Fate to reply, but no answer came.

She stood up and slipped the picture of her mother back under her pillow, just as there was a knock on the door. Before she could answer it, the door opened and her father stepped in and closed it behind him.

"Are you ready?" he asked sternly.

Princess Azula nodded as her father held out his hand. She took it unwillingly and was led out of her room.

* * *

"Ok, spread out and surround the city!" General Iroh commanded the Water Tribe men, Kyoshi Warriors and all of the Earth Kingdom soldiers in front of him with all the knowledge and experience he could muster. They all set out.

Sokka shouted one last goodbye and good luck to Suki as she disappeared. He and Katara shouted out to their father and Haru and The Duke as they disappeared into the crowed with their fathers and friends.

"Are you sure you'll be fine here with the injured?" Katara looked at Teo, trying to smile. The boy seemed so down about not fighting, but he kept insisting that it was for the best.

"I'm sure, Katara. Good luck to all of you guys! And keep my father safe," he smiled at her. With that, he wheeled himself to sit with some young men who weren't in any shape to be going into this battle. It could have been worse for him, the whole not going to battle thing - he could have ended up stuck at the base camp on his own. But he had already made a few friends, and he was sure that things would be fine. Teo knew he'd get his moment to shine someday.

Iroh turned to his nephew.

"You, Sokka, Katara, Toph and Aang are going to follow me into the city. I will take you to where my brother is meant to be today and Aang can take him out while all the guards and soldiers are distracted by our soldiers, surrounding the city. Aang, are you ready?"

The young Avatar nodded and gave a tight smile, although his eyes were full of fear. Noticing this, Katara put a hand on his shoulder. :Aang, listen to me. I've said this before and I'll say it again; you _are_ ready for this."

"Yea, Twinkletoes! You're the man!" Toph encouraged.

"It's your destiny, mate," Sokka put in.

"And you've mastered all of the elements," Zuko added.

The Avatar smiled and nodded a little more enthusiastically. "Thanks guys," he said quietly to all of his friends before looking back up at the old General.

"Are you ready?" Iroh asked again. And Aang nodded with every ounce of determination in his being. Iroh smiled, "We are leaving in five minutes. I just need to check the map one last time, just to be on the safe side."

Everyone agreed to wait the extra few minutes as the last of the troops disappeared. Everyone knew that everyone else's heart was beating franticly in anticipation and fear.

"Ok, good luck, Aang. I know you can do it," Katara breathed.

Aang nodded. "But this time we don't have the eclipse," he said uncertainly. "What if I really don't come back this time?"

"Aang, I told you on the day of the eclipse; don't say that! You can do this, and you _will _do this. I believe in you, Aang."

"We all believe in you," Zuko added, stepping forward so he was standing next to Katara. She turned to face him with wide eyes and trembling hands as General Iroh came back.

"Ok everyone, time to go. Come quickly and quietly and stay alert!" he ordered.

Sokka was at Iroh's heals in a split second and was closely followed by Aang and Toph. But before Zuko could join them, Katara grasped his hand and pulled him back around to face her.

"Katara, what –?"

Before he could utter another word, she had pressed her lips to his and flung her arms around his neck. Everything around them seemed to disappear and go quiet, or maybe everything really had gone quiet, but Zuko found he was unable to resist and closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. They stayed in lip-lock for what felt like eternity before slowly breaking apart, but they remained in each others embrace. They looked into each others eyes and deep blue clashed with burning gold.

"I love you," the water girl whispered.

"I love you too."

"Please come back safe," she begged as her eyes welled with tears.

"I'll be ok, I'll come back safe. You just take care of yourself."

She nodded silently as the Fire Prince slowly released her and tried to pull away from her. She let him go and stepped back slowly. They fell into line with the rest of their friends and family who were looking at them in shock and horror, all except for Toph and Iroh who were shocked and overjoyed.

"Katara, what did you just _do_?" her older brother asked, as they moved on.

"What did it look like I just did?"

"You kissed Zuko," he said blankly.

Aang walked a little in front of the water girl and turned to face her with teary eyes. "Katara…"

"I'm sorry Aang. But I love him," she admitted.

"Young love," Iroh chuckled from the front of the party, as they neared the city gates.

"About time," Toph sighed.

They entered the city and just as they had expected, there was no one around.

"Strange," Iroh thought out loud. "Either our soldiers already have the Fire Nation soldiers occupied or my brother is more naive than I thought."

"I sure hope it's like that and not some sort of trap," Prince Zuko muttered.

"I hope they didn't know we were coming again," Aang said stiffly as he continued to try and bite back tears from his broken heart.

They moved through the city in silence, heading for the palace.

* * *

Princess Azula stepped through the door of the ball room which had been transformed into a church for her wedding. Her father was at her side and Admiral Shang stood up the front, along with a priest, who stood behind an altar.

As she moved up the isle, she could feel the stares of thousands, maybe even millions of people, on her. She was the centre of attention, the beautiful bride. Everyone was expecting her to be happy, they all thought this was her choice and that she was in love.

She smiled and hoped to the Gods that it looked convincing. But as she finally reached the side of her future husband, she could feel her heart shattering. She wanted to cry, to scream, to run away, but she couldn't.

The priest began to talk and Azula prayed that something, _anything _would happen to stop this from happening. But, at the same time, she prayed that everything would go exactly according to plan.

* * *

"Look, there're a few guards in front of the palace. There must be people inside; the Fire Lord is still here," the Fire Prince announced in relief.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Aang said.

Everyone agreed and before the guards could notice anything was going on, the one-man-army of General Iroh had knocked them all over with a tree he uprooted without any problem, and they were out cold.

"Nice one, Uncle," Zuko smiled cheerfully.

"Jeez, way to spoil everybody else's fun…" Toph huffed.

He looked back at his nephew and smiled before turning and ripping down the gates between them and the palace – boy was he glad he could finally show off his muscles that he had used to escape prison!

They charged in swiftly, but kept quiet so as not to draw attention to themselves. They hadn't seen any more guards and they were hoping their luck would last a little longer.

As they ran though the palace, they could hear a faint voice that grew louder. Suddenly, Iroh stopped.

"Someone's in the ballroom," he commented as he indicated to an open door, just a few meters further down the hallway they were in. "Everyone, keep your voices down."

"There sure are a lot of people in there. It's like the whole of the Fire Nation capital is in there," Toph commented as she picked up the vibrations.

"Whoever's talking is giving some sort of speech," Katara said.

"It sounds like a very professional speech," Aang said.

"…Take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold, in health and sickness, till death do you part?" the voice of a priest drifted in.

"It sounds like…" Sokka began.

"A wedding!" Toph announced quietly but urgently, and in annoyance. Hadn't they already established that the wedding being held at the palace was the cause of their guard-free day? Perhaps the others had been secretly more convinced that it was just a trap then she had realized.

"Oh, let's not crash it. That would be really mean if we went and crashed a wedding! Keep in mind, this'll be the wedding that caused us to have our guard-free day today," Katara pleaded. Toph sighed inwardly in disbelief at everybody's late comprehension.

"Yes, we won't ruin the wedding, but that means we can't pass the door until afterwards. So we'll have to stay here a moment, but it sounds like the wedding is nearly over," Iroh agreed.

Everyone nodded in approval.

"Whoever's getting married must be pretty important people; everyone who is in the city is in that room," Toph pointed out.

"I wonder who it is," Zuko said out loud as he stepped closer to the door. He slowly peeked in to see who was at the altar before pulling his head back out to face his friends. "I can see the guy is Admiral Shang. He's a really evil guy like Admiral Zhao, but he's a lot closer to my father than Zhao was. I can't see the bride though; she's wearing a veil," he explained. He looked expectantly to Toph.

"Sorry man, there are too many other vibrations of people in the room for me to get a clear view of her," she shrugged apologetically.

"Never mind then…" he sighed.

"Ok, let's just wait till the weddings over and then we'll finish our job here," Aang declared.

His companions agreed and they waited.

* * *

Azula looked sideways at her father, who gave her a stony look in return.

"I do," she said clearly, but she struggled to keep her voice steady.

"And do you, Shang, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to hold, through health and sickness, till death do you part?"

"I do," the man next to the Princess said without hesitation.

"If anyone here objects to this couple's marriage, speak now, or forever hold your peace." The Priest skimmed over the crowed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Azula could see Mai and Ty Lee itching to call an objection, but they kept silent as the Princess had told them to, for the sake of not getting her or themselves into trouble with her father.

_You guys promised… I know it's hard, but you promised, and if you speak out, you're going to ruin everything… damn it! Why couldn't I have just told you guys everything?! You're my best friends – you wouldn't have dobbed me in, right?_

"In that case, Shang, you may now present the betrothal necklace."

Shang brought a red pendent in the shape of the Imperial Flame attached to a black choker necklace cloth out from under his robe. He turned to face the Fire Princess and she turned to face him. Azula had almost forgotten that she had had to take it off and give it back to him before the wedding, otherwise, she'd already have been wearing it. But she was glad she'd been able to take it off, just for that little while.

He held the necklace up to put around her neck and just as in her dream, just as was tradition, her father's hands came around either side of her neck to take the ends of the necklace and tie it around the back.

Azula smiled, pretending to be happy as she felt the cold pendent press against her skin.

"You may now kiss," the priest announced.

Princess Azula had no choice but to let the man in front of her kiss her. The crowed cheered and clapped and a few people whistled in congratulations for the newly weds. As they broke apart, she could feel inside, her heart was still breaking. A single tear rolled down her powder white cheek and her makeup flaked. She was able to pull the tear off as a tear of joy; her smile still stayed on. She couldn't break down now, not in front of everybody. The show had to go on; she had to pretend to be the Loyal-to-the-Fire-Lord Princess Azula.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a mother and her child duck out of the door as she turned to face the altar again.

"Now, if you will please both sign this, your marriage will be official and you will be able to go and do as you please." The priest pushed a scroll with some writing on it and a brush and ink forward and Shang took the brush and prepared to write his name upon the scroll. The tip of the brush was just touching the paper, when a terrified scream rented the air. It came from just outside the room.

"THE AVATAR IS HERE!" The mother who had taken her child out of the ballroom screamed and all heads turned to face her as a stream of water came and covered her mouth and froze, immediately after which six figures dashed past along the corridor.

"AFTER THEM!" the Fire Lord boomed as he pointed to the door. Immediately, a dozen or so guards raced off after the wedding crashers.

Panicked guests ran from the ballroom, screaming as they fled the palace, and Admiral Shang and the Fire Lord disappeared to instruct guards and soldiers and capture the Avatar. After a few moments, the chaos calmed down and the only people left in the ballroom church were the priest, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. Azula couldn't help a sigh of relief, and it was kind of obvious it was relief.

"Princess?" the priest asked, hesitantly.

She looked at him and then at her friends. "Girls, I'm gonna bet anything that one of the people who just ran past with the Avatar was my brother. I'll confess now; I'm on their side." She threw the bouquet of flowers she was holding to the ground. "I'm going to help them!" she announced.

With that, she hitched up the front of her dress so she wouldn't trip on it and ran out of the ballroom and in the same direction as the Avatar and her brother had headed, leaving a baffled priest and an only slightly surprised Mai and Ty Lee behind her.

* * *

**Yay! Ok, that took me forever to get right! It sorta just spilt out of me this chapter, but then when I went to proof-read it, I found SO MANY MISTAKES it wasn't funny. But they're all fixed up now. You guys all love me, right? ESPECIALLY ALL OF MY FELLOW ZUTARIANS!!! Right?! Yay! They kissed! XD Are you all happy they finally kissed?! And now the truth is out. **

**Ok, I'm dying to air the next chapter, so please make sure you leave a review. Remember, three (3) reviews or no updates! Also, for the start of next chapter:  
WARNING: high level violence, some gory scenes, something sad happens (but I did promise a few chapters ago that everyone who deserves to be happy will end up happy AT THE END OF THE SERIES!). Ok, seriously, don't kill me for what happens next chapter, cuz I'm going to make it all ok. **

**So review, and JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	24. 23: The Invaders, Pt 3: Behind the Lies

**(Gasp!) Now the battle is getting really juicy in this chapter. So yea, WARNING: High level violence, gory description and (dun, dun, dun!) **_**Character death**__**.**_** Read at own risk!**

**BTW, the character death scene was the first part of this story that was ever written. It was a one-shot that I decided I could make something big out of. This chapter includes the seed to the whole story and I am proud to finally be posting it! **

**Ok, with that all out in the open, read, review and ENJOY! **

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**23. The Invaders, Part 3; Behind the Lies**

The group of six ran as fast as they could towards the throne room as the guards chased them; Iroh was in the lead. But before they could get to the end of the corridor, a group of dozen and a half guards cut them off.

All of the teenagers stopped, but Iroh kept running and bowled six of them over, only to find that they were members of the Dai Li. They were back on their feet again in a matter of seconds and earthbending at all group members.

Within seconds, they were joined by a number of firebenders and the teens were all caught. Iroh was to busy keeping the guards off himself to help them and the guards began to drag them away. They kicked and struggled and twisted and turned, but no matter what they did, they couldn't break free from the guards that held them fast.

Suddenly, Aang found himself on an angle where he could get a clear shot of Zuko's capturers.

"Zuko, duck!" he yelled.

The Prince obeyed as best he could, and it was enough for Aang to blast both of his friend's captors off him with his airbending. The Prince immediately used firebending to send the other guards backwards as he shot at them. But the guards were strong and there were twice as many of them as there were of the teenagers. But they were free and, although they couldn't hold their own in a fight at that moment, they could run.

And they did.

Sokka and Toph ran back towards where Iroh was, but took a side passage to the left as four guards followed them. Aang, Katara and Zuko headed back in the direction of the ballroom and the remaining six guards pursued them.

* * *

Princess Azula quickly stepped to the side of the corridor as her brother, the Avatar and the waterbender girl ran past, closely followed by some of the Dai Li members and a few of the regular palace guards.

Once they had all passed, she turned and ran after them.

In front of her, she saw her father step out of a side passage to join in the chase, although he remained oblivious to her, as did the others.

She followed him silently.

* * *

Aang stumbled and fell a little behind Katara and the Fire Prince.

"Aang!" they yelled.

"Keep running!" he called back, as two of the guards cut him off in front and he was forced to double back and dodged down a side passage to his right in order to escape. The two guards followed.

Katara and Zuko ran side by side, each other's only available alleys.

There was a fork in the passage ahead and before they could choose which one they would go down, the earth between them rose, separating them and forcing them to go down different paths. Two of the guards followed Katara and two followed Zuko.

"Katara!"

"Zuko!" came her suddenly distant reply.

The Fire Prince prayed desperately that Katara would be alright and that she would escape unharmed.

He shot fireballs over his shoulder, and after several attempts, he heard one of the guards gasp and topple over. He knew he had hit. He had run down another corridor before the second guard fell. But much to Zuko's dismay, he could hear there was someone else following him. Without stopping or turning around, he shot another dozen or so fireballs behind him, but none hit their target.

Zuko ran into a guest room, only to find it was a dead end, when a cruel, cold and malicious voice spoke from behind him. A voice he altogether loathed and feared.

"Prince Zuko, you are weak and you are a coward!" came Fire Lord Ozai's voice, and Zuko stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face his father from his spot in the middle of the room.

He stood there in the doorway, smiling evilly at his son. "Well? Aren't you going to keep running?" he laughed.

"No, I'm not," he said confidently, although inside he was terrified.

"The only alternative is you let me kill you."

"I'll fight you!"

The Fire Lord laughed again and his face was made with an evil smile. Quick as anything, he shot a bolt of lightning from his fingertips. Zuko barely deflected it. It was so sudden and all of that running, worrying for Katara's safety, worrying for the rest of his friends – it had made him exhausted already.

Ozai struck again, blue flames escaping from the palm of his hand. Zuko gasped as he hurried to deflect the powerful blow. When both men straightened their stances again, Zuko realized he'd already broken a sweat. This wasn't good. It was down right scary.

Ozai lunged forward, weaving lightning between his fingers and directing it at his son again. Biting his lip, Zuko took in a deep breath and reached a hand out for the lightning. He took control of it as it came into contact with him, leading it through his body. Down his arm with the opposite hand, down to his stomach, back up to his other arm and then back at his father. But the Fire Lord easily got out of the way. He'd already been aware of the fact that Zuko was capable of redirecting lightning, so he had half expected it and was ready for it.

Laughing at the boy's foolishness, Ozai sent several spurts of flames at him, all too quickly for the Prince to fit in his own attack between them and his defenses.

One fireball... block... breathe in... block the next one.... breathe out... block the next one... breathe in... block the next one... and the next one... forget to breathe... DUCK!

Zuko had lost his footing for not even a second, and he knew straight away that even that was too long to be distracted while his father was attacking him. With a gasp, he fell over.

Smirking with satisfaction, Ozai advanced on the boy and sent one powerful attack at him. The Prince just managed to block it in time and then scramble to his feet, not noticing the way the intense heat given by his father's flames had scorched his hands. It didn't hurt him.

To Zuko's dismay, his father retried the same technique and the Prince found himself backing into a wall. But no, that wouldn't do. He couldn't let his father win. Not this fight.

He blocked a fireball and then lunged forward with a growl of frustration. The immense fireball that escaped his clenched fist collided with his father's. The two attacks caused an explosion, and Zuko, being closer to it, was blown off his feet by the force. Ozai simply had to strengthen his stance until the blow was over.

Zuko panted on the ground, refusing to show his father the fear he felt inside. He felt weak. He felt useless. He felt defenseless. He felt alone. Zuko was ready to quit. Anyway, it was Aang's destiny to defeat this man, not his. And after all of this was over, everyone could get on with their lives and live them happily. They'd all be happy once this was over... Toph, Sokka, Suki, Aang, Katara –

_Katara..._ he thought her sweet name. No, he wasn't weak. He would only be truly useless if he gave up. He was a master firebender. And, with Katara beside him, he wouldn't be alone. But he had to fight to be with her, and he would do just that.

Zuko got back up. Ozai struck again and the Prince was down again. That was such a shock. Inside his mind, he suddenly felt so strong at the thought of Katara. But he guessed that his mind was only tricking him. He was a lot more worn out than he thought. For a moment, he thought that he wouldn't be able to get up. At least, not in time to save himself.

"Prepare to die, Prince Zuko."

He got ready to strike again; his fist was raised and alight and Zuko tried desperately to gather his strength so that he could block it, or at least get out of the way in time. But his body just didn't want to cooperate with what he needed it to do.

It started coming down, but suddenly, something red, white and gold jumped in front of him and pushed the Fire Lord backwards. But Ozai was obviously stronger than this new comer and easily pushed his new opponent back off him and stood to look at them properly.

Zuko quickly got back up and got ready to fight his father again, but he too looked at the new comer.

It was a girl, with long black hair. She was wearing a white dress with red and gold trimmings, but she had her back to him as she stood in front of him to face the Fire Lord. Zuko realized, with a pang of guilt, that it was the bride from the wedding he and his friends had accidentally crashed. Also, part of the reason he and his friends had been blessed with this guard-free day for a chance to attack and invade. As he stood there looking at her, he made a mental note-to-self to make sure she was rewarded and her wedding, perhaps, re-held... but that was only if they both made it out of this alive, as did her fiancé... but then again, her fiancé was Shang...

He looked back to his father, who was still looking at the girl, and watched as his expression turned from surprise and anger to pure ferocity as he acknowledged who she was.

"I might have known you'd interfere with me trying to kill my son, Princess Azula," he snarled.

Zuko gasped and then looked back at the girl, who still had her back to him.

_Azula?!_

"I expected you to know I would have interfered, Father," she replied stiffly, and Zuko could hear her speak with his sister's voice.

"Azula?" he asked in disbelief.

She turned to face him and he saw that it really was her. She smiled at him, although her eyes remained fearful and then turned back to her father.

"Stand down girl, or I'll kill you too," the Fire Lord demanded.

"No!" Azula shot back firmly, leaving Zuko completely baffled. Azula _never_ went against their father's wishes.

"Stand down!" he repeated.

"I won't."

"DO AS I SAY!"

"I'M NOT LISTENING TO YOU ANYMORE!" she yelled.

He let out a furious roar and lunged at his daughter. She jumped back in fright and took an offensive stance, her fingers ready to create lightning.

"If you won't let me pass, then I will kill you _and _your brother!" Ozai warned.

"I won't let you hurt him!"

The Fire Lord threw a ball of blue flames at her and she deflected it with more difficulty than expected. But she kept fighting and threw a lightning bolt right back at him. He only just blocked it, but skidded backwards several meters where he too took an offensive stance.

"Give me one good reason why I should listen to you!" she shouted angrily.

Zuko listened in astonishment; it wasn't like his sister at all to defend him or to rebel against her father.

"I am your father and your Fire Lord. YOU WILL OBEY ME!" he pointed at her.

"NO!"

She shot another bolt of lightning at him and he slid backwards another few meters.

"All you've ever done is tell me what to do! And if I didn't do it, you'd hurt me, or threaten to hurt someone I love! But then you tell me to kill my own brother, and the only way I can keep him safe is to push him away and make it look like I hate him! YOU TRY TO MAKE ME KILL MY BROTHER! YOUR SON! ZUKO!" she gestured towards her older sibling, who was still confused.

"Don't give me that nonsense again. Stand aside or I'll kill you!"

"NO! I'm going to tell you exactly what I think, and you're going to listen!"

The angry Fire Lord threw blue fireballs at his daughter and she had to dodge them. But she quickly straightened up again and looked her father in the eye.

"All you've ever done is make me do terrible things to the people I love and the people I believe in! The only reason I ever obeyed you was because if I didn't, then you either hurt me until I changed my mind, threaten to hurt someone I love or let Shang rape me! The only other reason I ever did your dirty work was because I was trying to please you, make you accept me and love me! I thought that if I could just do enough of the things you wanted me to do, I'd be able to talk you into being good instead of evil. Obviously, I was wrong! You'll never change! You're just a sour, bloodthirsty, cruel man who doesn't feel anything but anger and hate and doesn't think of anyone but himself!" she shouted.

"I can still get Shang to rape you! You are married to him now!"

"No, Father! I'm not married to him! Neither of us got a chance to sign that contract. And so, you know what?" Azula reached for the pendant of the betrothal necklace around her neck and ripped the whole thing off and threw it to the other side of the room. "I'm not getting married today, and I'll never marry Shang! NEVER!"

Zuko stood there, absolutely bewildered by what he was hearing.

_Azula marry Shang? Rape? Force? _He knew as soon as Azula had started that something was up. _Dad, you monster... what have you done? _All of this new information was almost too much for him, and he couldn't do much more than just stand there and gape.

"I'm not doing your dirty work anymore! I hate you! You can't tell me what to do and you can't make me stand down! You can threaten me however you like, but this time, I'm going to do what _I _want!" She pulled her veil off and threw it to the ground.

The Fire Lord and the Fire Princess glared at each other for a moment.

"If you won't stand down, then so be it!" He renewed his stance. "I'll just kill you first."

Zuko didn't know exactly what had just happened, but as his father prepared to strike at his little sister, he knew he had to protect her. As the Fire Lord struck, he quickly pushed Azula out of the way and followed her to the ground before quickly getting to his feet again and attacking his father.

Fireball after fireball he shot, and lightning bolt after lightning bolt he blocked and as he attacked and defended, he moved around his father so that the shots were coming away form Azula.

Just as he stumbled, another bolt of lightning was shot, but this time it was not from his father to him; Azula had gotten up again and had knocked her father over with her own attack.

The fire siblings looked across the room at each other and smiled before they both attacked their father. Ozai blocked and counterattacked as fast and as hard as he could before he finally knocked Azula down again with a whip of blue fire.

She let out a gasp of pain and clutched at her leg. Ozai had burnt her right up and down it by letting the whip worm around it before he knocked her down. Tears of pain stung her eyes and she had to bite back the sobs of nearly unbearable pain.

"Azula!"

Ozai turned his attention fully on Zuko again. The Prince felt fiery rage burning up inside of him as he glared back at his father. The boy let out an angry cry as he launched himself at his father. Ozai copied his gesture almost perfectly. They approached each other, fists alight and continuously attacking each other.

Soon, they found themselves in direct combat and Zuko chose that moment to draw his broad swords. He lashed out at his father, but to his surprise, the Fire Lord drew a sword of his own, seemingly out of nowhere. They abandoned pure bending and went into a semi bending, mostly weapons battle.

Several times, Zuko was pushed backwards, each time he found himself less willing to keep going and wanting to give up in exhaustion. But he didn't, he wouldn't, he couldn't. He was there because he had to help the Avatar win this war! He was there to fight! He was going to fight for peace, freedom, love and he was going to fight for Katara! And right now he was getting his revenge for being mistreated as a child and protecting his little sister from this man – that monster – and helping her get revenge for the horrible things their father had done to her.

Suddenly, he found himself up against the wall and his father's sword lashed in front of him and he was forced to duck to avoid having his head cut off. The sword left a mark in the wall. But Zuko was on the ground and his father was towering over him.

He held his broad swords out in front of him, defensively, and prayed to all the Gods and Spirits above that he would survive the battle. He couldn't die yet – he had to see this through to the end.

His father knocked one sword away from him with a simple wave of his own. Zuko tried to stand again, but the Fire Lord kicked him back down and almost cut his hand off as he disarmed him of his other broad sword.

The Prince's heart stopped; he was completely defenseless and his father was still towering over him. Everything that had ever happened to him – his whole life – flashed before his eyes. As he eyed the sharp blades of Ozai's sword, his mind remained on only two things.

_Katara... Azula... no, this can't happen, I have to help them! I have to save them! I have to fight! I won't give up!_

The Fire Lord raised his sword to commit the final blow. Zuko shut his eyes tightly, begging for this to be a dream. He wanted it to not be real. He wished it was a lie. Surely, it must be fake. Could this possibly already be the end, so soon? It couldn't be – this had to be a lie and there had to be some hidden truth behind it. A beautiful truth was always hidden behind the lies. Ugly lies.

_I'm sorry..._

Then...

Princess Azula joined the fight again, grabbing her father's arm and pulling him away from Zuko. The Prince opened his eyes in shock and looked up at her, a smile somehow managing to find its way to his lips, even though he had been sure he was too exhausted to do it.

Azula got Ozai back a few meters and Zuko struggled to his feet, quickly. The game was on again.

But his little sister couldn't keep a firm hold on Ozai and he twisted out of her grip and turned to face her, sword still raised.

Zuko staggered as he ran to his sister's aid, but before he was half way there the Fire Lord sent a particularly powerful bolt of lightning right into the Prince's chest.

Zuko put his arms out in front of him and tried to redirect the lightning once more, but he only managed to get rid of part of it. The majority was gone, but a dangerous amount still hit its target. It wasn't enough to kill him, or leave much of a mark. But because of the force, Zuko flew backwards and slammed into the wall, hitting his head, hard.

"ZUKO!" his sister's voice screamed for him.

In that split second before unconsciousness, Zuko looked up at his two relatives. Azula looked worriedly at him and was still standing in front of her father. There was the dull thud of blade penetrating flesh. Suddenly, Azula's eyes widened in fear, shock and pain and she gave a sharp gasp. Looking down from her face to her abdomen, time seemed to go into slow motion. Zuko could see the bloody tip of a sword, piercing through the back of her wedding dress.

And Zuko's world was engulfed in blackness.

* * *

Katara ran down the corridor. She had no idea where she was, all she knew was that she had two soldiers following her, trying to capture her. She rounded a bend and found her self running straight towards Aang.

They both gasped in surprise and the young Avatar yelled, "DUCK!" Katara obeyed, and as she had expected, her friend blew her pursuers backwards with an air blast, and this time, they fell unconscious. He turned on the spot and blew his own followers away before stopping, panting and clutching a stitch in his side.

"They just don't give up, do they?" he whispered to the water girl.

"No, they don't," she agreed, half laughing.

"C'mon…" Aang held a hand out to help her back up. "Let's go and find the others. Where's your boyfriend?" He slightly hurt as he admitted that _he_ himself wasn't Katara's boyfriend, nonetheless he said it.

Katara accepted his help and answered, "The Dai Li agents that were chasing us split us up…literally," she said, looking back down the corridor she had just run.

"You don't know where he is?"

She shook her head. "Do you know where any of the others are?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "C'mon, we'll go look for them."

They agreed on that and Aang used earthbending to make a path back in the direction of the main corridor they had been walking in first. When they reconnected, they found themselves looking at, at least two dozen unconscious Dai Li and firebender soldiers and Mr. Iroh standing in the middle, having just knocked down the last one.

"Oh, you're ok!" he said happily, but sounding exhausted. "Where are the others?"

"We got split up," Aang explained. "But we all had guards come after us; there were two guards for every one of us."

"Sokka and Toph went the opposite way to me, Aang and Zuko. Then Aang went down a side passage and we kept running and there was a fork in the passage ahead of us and one of the member of the Dai Li put an earth wall between us so we had to go down separate paths and then two of them followed me and then I ran into Aang and we came here!" Katara explained quickly and almost without stopping. She took in a big and much needed and deserved breath before anyone else spoke and sighed in relief as her lungs started working again.

"We need to find the others," Aang said, wondering how the waterbender had just said all that, seemingly without breathing. "And I need to find the Fire Lord."

With that, they all followed the main corridor the way they had gone earlier, planning to go and find Zuko, he being the only one whose path they could tell.

* * *

Zuko could hear the Fire Lord's fading footsteps as he regained consciousness. He waited a minute for his strength to come to back to him. While he waited, he thought. His father had almost killed him, but Azula had saved him. She had defended him both physically and verbally. They had worked together against their father.

But Ozai had been swift and crafty. He had managed to blow Zuko away so that he slammed into the wall. In that split second before he had become unconscious, he had looked up and towards his two still standing relatives.

"ZUKO!" Azula's voice still rang in his ears and the image of her face was imprinted in his mind.

What Zuko had seen next was something that would haunt him forever. He had seen the tip of the sword, dripping blood onto the floor, piercing through his sister and her dress and had seen her expression of pain, shock and fear.

That had been the last thing he'd seen before he had become unconscious.

His strength having returned to him enough for him to be properly aware of his surroundings, he noticed that, although the Fire Lord had left, there was still one other presence in the room aside form his own. He became aware of it as he heard someone, a few meters away from him, inhaling and exhaling in rapid, ragged breaths.

_Azula!_

Zuko's eyes flew open. He sat bolt upright and looked around, ignoring the pain in his chest and the back of his head. The bolt of lightning hadn't actually hurt him – just winded him and blowing him into a wall.

He could have only been unconscious for a few minutes, because there were still a few bits of carpet and furniture burning. There were smashed windows and ornaments and paintings had been ripped from the wall and either had been destroyed or were being destroyed as they continued to burn.

It was a devastating sight, to see your own home in ruins, but the worst of the destruction lay in the middle of the room.

"Z-Zuko," Azula stuttered, continuing her ragged breathing.

All the boy could do was stare at his sister in disbelief.

She lay on her back in the middle of the room, surrounded by a pool of blood. The crimson liquid was spreading slowly over the floor and was still pouring out of the hole in Azula's stomach where the sword had penetrated. The parts of her dress that hadn't been red to start with had turned a deep shade of crimson and the parts that had been were even deeper.

_No!_

Zuko understood. He didn't need anyone to tell him. All those years, he'd thought Azula hated him. He thought she had let him be banished so that he'd have to watch her rise to power. He'd thought that she'd always pushed him away because she wanted to.

No, he was wrong, he understood. She hadn't done it to hurt him; she'd done it to save him, to protect him. She didn't hate him; she loved him, she always had.

Zuko slowly stood up. He and Azula kept eye contact as he walked over to her. He knelt down alongside her and reached a hand forward to brush some hair out of her bloodstained face. Her makeup had all flaked away and her eyeliner and mascara had smudged and was running down her cheeks, helped along by her tears of pain and despair. Zuko could see every single one of her cuts and bruises.

He let his hand rest on her head as he bent over and kissed her gently on the forehead. As he kissed her, he felt a horrible sensation in his chest – his own breaking heart. This wasn't right. This wasn't good. And there wasn't much he could do about it. As he kissed her, she began to sob.

"Zuko, I'm sorry," she cried through ragged breaths.

The Fire Prince felt tears in his eyes and didn't bother trying to hold them back. They raced down his nose and dripped onto his sister's cheeks.

"I know," he whispered. "I'm sorry too."

And he knew Azula knew that he meant, "Sorry for misunderstanding your action."

Zuko let out a sob. They were now both soaked in blood. Zuko slid one hand under her head and reached over to her other side with the other before slipping it under her back. He slowly and gently lifted her into a sitting position and pulled her into a hug. He buried his face in her hair, neck and shoulders. Her arms snaked under his and wrapped themselves around him. She rested her head on his shoulder and continued sobbing.

They sat like that for a while, crying and trapped in each others embrace. They held each other tighter than they had ever held anyone or anything else before, as if they thought that, if they held on tight enough, they'd be able to escape the reality of the situation and everything would be ok. Maybe they'd never have to let go of each other again. Maybe, just maybe, this was another lie, and there was a beautiful truth hidden behind it. Maybe he could save her by holding her close.

Zuko leaned forward a little so that Azula was in a position half way between sitting and lying down, but he still supported her weight with his hands.

Azula was dying. Zuko couldn't do anything to stop it and, in the back of his mind, he knew it. No one else could save her either. But Zuko was not about to abandon his sister and leave her to die; he'd stay with her till the very end.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again.

"I know," Zuko replied hugging her a little tighter.

Azula knew she didn't have to explain herself, she knew Zuko understood why she'd done all of those terrible things.

"T-t-tell the others I'm sorry too," she stumbled.

"I will." And Zuko was going to make sure the others found out the truth about his little sister. He would tell them who she really was, behind the lies.

"Good luck… defeating Dad…and winning the war…" She gave a shudder. "…Good luck b-being Fire Lord. I know y-you'll make the r-right choices."

Zuko listened as he held his dying sister. He listened to the words she spoke, her heavy breathing and her fading heart beat.

"You'll be a great leader," she whispered.

"Thank you," he sobbed back, chocking on his tears.

Her heart beat was fading fast. The blood pouring from her wound was slowing, but Zuko knew it was because there wasn't much of it left.

In desperation, the Prince reached into his pocket and pulled out a little bracelet, strung with amber beads.

"My...my bracelet…" She almost sobbed in joy. "I th-thought I lost i-t."

Zuko smiled sadly and slipped it onto her wrist. She smiled sadly back and another tear streaked down her face, but maybe this one was more of joy than pain or despair. He pulled her right up to him and rocked gently back and forth with her in his arms, hoping, praying that it would be alright this time – that the bracelet would save her life as it had ten years ago.

"Zuko," Azula breathed into his ear. Her voice was soft and strained.

"Yes, Azula?" Zuko's voice shook.

There was a pause. Both siblings tightened their grips on each other, just a little tighter.

"I love you," she whispered with the last of her strength.

Azula inhaled once more and tightened her grip on her older brother again. Her hands jerked on his back.

"I love you too…"

Her heart gave a final beat and she choked a little on some blood. That horrible red liquid... it trickled from between her scarlet lips as her last breath slipped from between them with a haunting sigh.

Her grip on her brother slackened and her hands slid gently down his back and fell limp at her sides.

But the bracelet did nothing.

Azula lived no more.

* * *

**How many of you guessed that it was going to be Azula? Now, don't lie to me! One of you told me you thought it was either gonna be Zuko or Aang, and because you were my good friend I told you it wasn't and then you guessed Katara and then somehow weaseled it out of me that it was Azula! So seriously, who knew straight away that it was going to be Azula?**

**That last scene was the very first part of this story I ever came up with. It was what inspired me to write the whole thing. O thought of this scene with Azula dying in Zuko's arms and I thought to myself "what story could O put behind this scene to make it happen?" and I came up with everything you read before this. So yea, I know some of you might be very sad about this unfortunate event, but it is the only reason this story was ever written at all. Besides, didn't I promise you that everything would turn out alright ****at the end of the series****? If you look at my profile page, I've got a bit of info on the series and it's a long way from finished. So trust me on this one, ok? Stick around. It'll be worth it.**

**Ok, so enough of me ranting on about that and giving you the story behind the story... what did you think of this chapter? Ya know what? Why don't you tell me in a nice, constructive and encouraging review? That'd be nice. I'd like that. So ya REVIEW!**

**JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!!!**


	25. 24: The Invaders, Pt 4: The Final Battle

**Ok, again with the WARNING: high level violence, some gory details and more character death. So yea, again, read at own risk.**

**Ok, before I go on, I'd like to make a dedication. So, here goes: eh-hem!**

**I would like to dedicate this chapter and last chapter to everyone in Victoria, Australia, who has been effected by the bushfires over the past week. Many have lost their homes, loved ones, and lives, and the current death-toll stand somewhere between 180-190. this number is expected to rise to at least 300. This is Australia's worst natural disaster and we've never seen these figures before. In respect for those who perished on Black Saturday, please put a flower in your msn display names. And everyone, be very grateful that you've received this chapter on time, or at all, because I was very close to these fires and was lucky not to have been evacuated and lucky that my town was not burn (though we had lots of spot-fires because of the embers).**

**Alright, on to the story and hopefully, a more positive note. Read and review and enjoy.**

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**24. The Invaders, Part 4; The Final Battle**

It didn't take long for Katara, Aang and Iroh to find Toph and Sokka. They had managed to stay together while they were being chased.

"Are you all alright? Katara, did they hurt you?!" Sokka asked in an over protective big brother act.

"I'm fine. I'm not hurt, they didn't get me," she smiled reassuringly at him and he sighed.

"Well, it's good to see that everyone's ok," Iroh smiled.

"Not everyone," Toph frowned. Everyone looked at her, puzzled. "Where's Zuko?" Her voice hinted panic and Iroh knew that this little blind girl must be closer to his nephew than anyone knew.

"We got split up," Katara explained.

"Well, let's find him," Aang decided. "It should be a lot easier and safer now that we're all together again."

They all took off down the corridor in search of the Fire Prince, all keeping a close eye out for the Fire Lord's men. There was barely anyone around and the group guessed that most of the soldiers were fighting outside of the palace, distracted by the invaders that were surrounding the city. They had only been searching for five minutes when they found themselves in the throne room.

"Um... maybe we shouldn't be in here. You know... just in case the Fire Lord finds us here... that wouldn't be good for us. We need to find Zuko," Sokka said, voice trembling.

"Yea, I agree with Sokka; I don't think Zuko's in here," Katara nodded.

"Ok, let's –"

"What's your hurry, Avatar? Leaving so soon? No, I insist that you stay." The voice from behind them sent electric chills up all of their spines and they all whipped around to see Fire Lord Ozai himself.

"Toph, why didn't you tell us he was coming?!" Sokka demanded in a whisper to the blind earth girl, but as he turned to face her, he realized that they had been snuck up on by Dai Li agents and one of them had put a hand over Toph's mouth and had drawn a blade to her throat while two others held her tightly, lifting her feet off the ground slightly so that she couldn't bend.

"Sorry..." she whispered through the man's hand.

"Hey! Let her go!" Aang ordered and he sent the man holding the knife flying backwards with an air-blast. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Now, that wasn't very nice," Ozai leered.

Aang turned to face him again, swallowing dryly. "You aren't very nice either," he retorted as calmly as he could.

Ozai laughed bitterly, "What a comeback! Would you look at his, Shang, the world decided to send a little boy to defeat me. And how does he go about doing it? He tells me that I'm not very nice!"

"How very amusing." A male's voice came from the shadows and a man with black hair and yellow eyes stepped out. "How naive of them to think that they could stop your magnificent plans like this." The smirking man came to stand alongside the Fire Lord, with his hands on his hips. They stood, looking at their rivals for a moment, before the new man gasped.

And for a moment, Katara thought that there might have been an echo in the room, until she turned her head to see that her brother had also gasped. And Sokka and this new man were looking right at each other.

"You..." Sokka breathed.

"You!" he snapped. "What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, so you have all already met Admiral Shang!" It was a statement, as the Fire Lord indicated to the man beside him.

"No..." Toph, Aang and Katara said slowly, looking in confusion between Shang and Sokka.

Iroh continued scowling at Ozai and the new man.

"Greetings, General Iroh," the Admiral bowed mockingly.

"If it isn't my talented for trouble pupil," he sighed wearily. "I see you fulfilled your dreams of becoming one to sit at the right-hand side of the Fire Lord."

"Although, before our father passed away, it was you he anticipated to be Fire Lord. But of course, you ended up a failure," Ozai smirked.

"I'd hold my tongue if I were you, Brother," Iroh advised, sagely.

Ozai laughed again, "I don't need your wisdom, tea lover!"

"It is a shame that you do not know what is best for you," Iroh said sadly. "Stand down, the both of you, for if you do not, you will only cause more trouble for yourselves."

"Don't be stupid, Iroh! We're both master firebenders," Shang dismissed.

"But you are clearly outnumbered," Iroh indicated to the Avatar, his waterbending and earthbending teachers, Sokka and himself.

"Give it up, Fire Lord Ozai! It's over," Katara spoke, only to receive another laugh.

"You miscalculate, all of you. You're fools! It is you who are outnumbered!" Ozai spat. Then he clicked his fingers and what seemed to be a whole division of an army filed into the throne room through the side doors, flanked with a number of Dai Li agents. The two who were still holding Toph back pushed her forward to join her group.

Almost immediately, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Iroh found themselves in combat, but his time, there was no running; they were all surrounded.

Shang seemed to be fighting Iroh with more gusto than anyone else in the room, but before anyone could get to Aang, Ozai yelled out, "Leave the Avatar! He is mine to finish!"

With that, the two enemies looked each other in the eye. The final battle had begun, at last.

* * *

"Azula?" Zuko shook his little sister's body gently in his arms. She didn't move. She didn't stir. He waited. "Azula?"

He felt a sharp pain gripping at his insides as what had just happened to Azula became clear to him.

"Azula..." he breathed with a sob. "No... come back."

He shook her a bit more and looked at the bracelet, begging it to light up for a moment so that his sister would open her eyes one more time. But it didn't; the beads stayed the way they were.

Zuko shook his head, not wanting to believe what was happening – what this meant. He wished he was dreaming. He wished he were imagining. He wished that nothing of that day had every happened and that Azula was alright. He wished that she was only pretending, and that she would jump up any minute and laugh at him, telling him that she had fooled him and rub it in his face. Anything! Anything but let this be true. Anything but let her really be gone.

He sobbed loudly over her body and shook his head again.

_This can't be happening! This can't be true! This can't be real! Please, no!_

But it was real and he knew it. And the worst of it was that it was too late to change it. The Fire Princess was gone.

He squeezed his eyes shut and held her tight, wishing all off the world away. And suddenly his eyes shot open. He looked around.

_What was that?_

He listened and there it was. Always changing, never stopping. The sound of fighting. And the Prince knew exactly what it meant; the Avatar had found the Fire Lord and his friends were fighting his soldiers.

Gently, he lifted his dead little sister up in his arms and walked her over to the bed in the guest room, which was somehow still in tack. He cradled her in his arms for a moment before he set her down, stroking her head and pushing her hair out of her bloodstained face. He draped a blanket over her and kissed her forehead with tears running from his eyes.

Then, he made one of the hardest choices in the world and it tore him apart as he did it. He left the room and his sister and he went to find the others. He had to help them defeat the Fire Lord. He had to get back at the man who had destroyed his family.

As much as he wanted to stay with Azula and cry over her mangled body, he knew there was no point. If he wanted anyone to be there for him when this was all over, he needed to go and help them before they were killed too.

* * *

Water… Earth… Fire… Air… It shot from Aang towards Ozai and the Fire Lord deflected it. He made it look so easy. Fire… Lightning… The Fire Lord delivered his attacks with vigour. But as Aang tried to defend himself, he found himself falling, slipping, needing to dodge – losing.

This was bad, oh so very bad. Aang couldn't keep the panic from his face. He _couldn't_ lose this battle.

The Avatar yelped as Ozai sent him backwards with a powerful fire blast that left the ground where it ended up hitting cracked. He was panting heavily, but not as heavily as Aang. He could sense the boy's fear, and he loved it and loathed it at the same time. He loved that he scared a hero so much and made him tremble. Ozai loved the feeling of power. But he loathed a coward who couldn't defend himself, and that was why he killed them.

* * *

As Zuko pushed himself to keep going and not give up, he tried to work out where the battle was raging. He realized that it was so hard to track someone when you were so full of rage and emotion. Maybe that was why he had never been able to capture Aang. He had been too full of rage to be concentrating properly.

But as he walked, he recognized the area and when he pointed himself in the direction the noise was coming from, he guessed that the battle was in the throne room.

Forgetting everything else, he knew what he had to do.

* * *

Aang tried to deflect the lightning, but the Fire Lord was too powerful. The Avatar was blown backwards into the wall.

"Aang!" Katara cried, as Ozai charged at him. But she couldn't do anything for him.

Aang watched as his doom came at him. He squeezed his eyes shut and looked away.

_Goodbye world… goodbye friends…goodbye Katara…_He felt a tear trickle down his cheek as he braced himself for death. But the strike never came.

* * *

Zuko ran as fast as he could towards where the fighting was. He entered the throne room. There was Katara, tears pouring from her eyes as she fought a dozen firebenders at the same time; she was absolutely surrounded. Sokka was cornered by five, but he wasn't giving up. Toph was battling a number of Dai Li agents and Iroh was surrounded by at least twenty soldiers.

And Aang was on the ground, the Prince's father charging at him.

_No…_

He couldn't let it happen. He charged at his father and pushed him off his path. He fell to the ground, but jumped back up quickly, glaring at his son.

"Zuko!" Aang called gleefully, as he too got up smiling. But his smile fade when he saw the Prince was soaked in blood.

But Zuko wasn't looking at him; he was glaring harshly, with such an intensity of hate, that if it had been directed to someone other than Ozai, the victim would have surely turned to ashes.

"Well, I didn't kill you after all. I will be sure not to make that mistake again." The Fire Lord took a fighting stance. "How do you feel? Knowing the truth about Azula? Do you think you're a bad brother for not having been there for her?"

Tears trickled down his cheeks as his father's words hit him and he charged at him, firebending and all self control forgotten. And for that moment in time, Zuko didn't care if he died or not. All that mattered was killing this man – this _monster_ – who had ripped his world apart.

The Fire Lord saw his son's ferocity and knew that he would be fighting to the death. He got ready to shoot lightning at him, but he suddenly couldn't breathe; Zuko was strangling him. He grabbed his son's throat and they flung each other around.

"You killed her… you killed her… why?! Why did you have to kill Azula?! How could you kill your own daughter?!" he shouted and sobbed at the same time. "All those things you did to her... how could you?! How could you do that?! Why did you let those things happen to her?! Why did you have to kill her?! How could you kill her?!"

"The same way I'm going to kill you! I killed your sister because she was a traitor and a bitch and she had turned into the same failure you are!"

"YOU KILLED HER!!!"

Ozai smirked; he loved to see the people he loathed in pieces.

Aang looked between the father and son. What was going on? What were they talking about? Why was Zuko upset about Azula? Did he just say that his father had _killed_ Azula?!

They were attacking each other viciously, clawing at each other's throats and Zuko was deep in tears of rage.

It was right then that Aang noticed that he wasn't the only one watching. He looked to see that Admiral Shang was watching the father and son fight with an almost terrified look on his face.

"Shit! How the hell did Zuko find out?!" he whispered to himself, unaware that Aang could hear him. He looked around fearfully and spotted the nearest exit. Quick as he could, he made a dash for it and disappeared. Aang stared after him in confusion for a moment before he forced himself back to reality and the fight before him.

The Fire Lord threw Zuko back and came on the offensive.

"Zuko!" Aang tried to help his friend, but Ozai was attacking him too furiously to be stopped. He looked around to the others in the room, but they were all busy.

Suddenly, his eyes met a familiar scene. Time went in slow motion as Katara was surrounded by soldiers and she gathered water around her in a circle and made it like an octopus, with many tentacles lashing out at her opponents.

_Just like in Ba Sing Se… _

Aang knew what he had to do.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, but none of them heard him. He sat on the ground, cross-legged, and brought the earth around him upward so that he was completely encased within it. He shut his eyes and began to meditate.

_I need to get into the Spirit World. _He hoped this wouldn't be a replay of what happened in Ba Sing Se; he still had a hole in his back from where Azula had struck him.

He cleared his mind of all things, until the only thing left in his head was the voice of the Guru, "_Let go of them, Aang. Let them flow down the river, forgotten_."

_I need to let go of Katara..._

_But you love her!_

_It's the only way. I need to let her go. Anyway... she's... with Zuko now._

Aang felt a tear stray down his cheek at that thought. He loved Katara, with all of his heart. He'd loved her since the day he met her – since he opened his eyes and found himself in her arms. But that was a dream to him now. He had to let her go, or this would never work. He would never be able to save them.

He inhaled, repeating the same words in his head, _If you love her, let her go. If you love her, let her go. If you love her, let her go. If you love her..._

Aang slowly exhaled, still repeating the words in his head, and suddenly, the cosmic energy was flooding him; he had unlocked his seventh Chakra.

Aang was in the Avatar State.

* * *

Zuko charged at his father, only to be thrown backwards once again. By then, he was slightly bleeding from several wounds his father had caused him. But the Prince wasn't giving up; he would avenge his little sister. His father would pay.

He lunged at the man and was knocked down. But he didn't care anymore if he was killed or not; his life was so screwed up that all that mattered to him at the moment was killing the man in front of him, even if it meant killing himself.

Another attempted attack, another fail, and another strike backwards. Prince Zuko found himself on the ground, but he was too weak to get up again. His father charged at him and he shut his eyes. But the scene was interrupted by the sound of earth being blown apart from within and a bright light began to shine.

All fighting stopped and everyone looked to see Aang. His eyes and tattoos were glowing a brilliant blue; he was in the Avatar State.

Some of the more cowardly soldiers left he room in a hurry while the others stood there, looking awestruck.

The Avatar stepped forward and blew soldiers away with powerful air-blasts. He sent some flying with earth pillars and sprawling on the ground with a water whip. He burnt a few to a crisp as they charged at him. His friends were all still as they watched everything unfold before them.

But the Fire Lord's men had sent for reinforcements. At least one hundred new soldiers had packed themselves into the room with ease and everyone resumed fighting. They were greatly and dangerously outnumbered and strongly outmatched, even with Aang in the Avatar State.

The Fire Lord was leaving him to the soldiers, and so, he turned back to his son and charged. Zuko had only just found his feet and was pushed several meters backwards into a wall. Ozai charged at him again and Zuko was sure he was about to meet his end.

But as his father drew nearer, something appeared between them. It was a Spirit, Zuko knew straight away. It was a woman with long black hair, wearing a white dress with red and gold trimmings and a black veil.

In a split second, she formed an immense wall of blue flames – but no, it was pure electricity! – and the Fire Lord was blown backwards.

Once again, all other fighting stopped and everyone focused their attention on the scene.

"Keep away from my brother!" Princess Azula told her father harshly from her spirit form. Everyone looked at her incredulously and Aang came out of the Avatar State.

"Princess…" Ozai breathed in both amazement and anger.

Suddenly, a majority of the soldiers were hit by a tidal wave and knocked unconscious by its force. Everyone looked to see the Moon Spirit, Princess Yue, floating in mid air, her blue robes flowing elegantly from her form.

A majority of what remained of the soldiers were knocked stone cold by blue flames that issued from the other side of the room. They all turned once more to see a woman, dressed in silky red and gold robes. She had a gentle, motherly expression despite her frightening stance and she had long black hair. Her eyes were gold and she was altogether beautiful.

"Ursa…" Iroh and Ozai breathed in union.

"Mum…" Zuko whispered.

The woman smiled at him and he smiled back as more tears came to his eyes.

For years now, Ozai had not seen her face – her beautiful face. The face he'd fallen in love with. He knew love was weak, he hated love, but whenever she was around, he had to put up with it, because as much as he hated everything about love, and as much as he hated her for leaving him and choosing her son over him, Ozai still loved Ursa.

His lips were slightly parted as he gazed up at her, and she stared sadly back at him. Those eyes, _her _eyes – they were so perfect, but so full of sadness and longing and anger and hate and still, they managed to be full of love. Ozai felt his heart slow down for a moment, or maybe it was beating faster than ever and everything around him was just going in slow-motion because of what was going to happen next...

* * *

Ozai stared dumbfound at his lost wife and Aang realized how distracted he was. As quick as he could, the Avatar shot a deadly fireball at him and in a split second, the Fire Lord was on the ground. It all happened so fast, it was hard to believe anyone had moved at all, but the deed was finally done.

Ozai never took his eyes of Ursa for the last few seconds of his life, and he never spoke a word or made a sound. He just looked at her, and no one but her, wishing that she hadn't been such a fool as to leave him, and wishing that he hadn't been so stupid as to push her away from him and despise love, just because it was weak. He wished, that just for a moment, he had let himself be weak around her.

But his wishes died with him.

He moved no more.

All was silent and still for a moment, as everyone took in what had just happened. They all waited for it to sink in. Then…

Everyone on the Avatar's side looked back to Aang and cheered. The Fire Lord was finally defeated; the war was over. Katara, Sokka, Toph and Yue turned to Aang and cheered. Zuko, cheered half-heartedly and Iroh, Ursa and Azula smiled fondly at him, their faces soft and admiring.

Ozai's soldiers gave angry cries and the Dai Li agents suddenly tunneled under the ground where they were and disappeared without a trace. The Fire Nation soldiers continued their angry cries, until Azula spoke.

"My brother is your leader now, do as he says," she ordered with the same voice filled with authority she'd use any other day in front of soldiers.

They all looked up to her and realized who she was. More to it, they saw that she spoke the truth. Fire Lord Ozai was dead, and Prince Zuko was the rightful heir to the throne. If Princess Azula were still alive, their father would probably have ordered that she take over after him, but as they looked up at her spirit, they understood she was dead. Who else did that leave in line for the throne? Zuko!

Hesitantly at first, they all got down on their knees and bowed in front of Zuko. The Prince felt his heart stop in his chest for a moment at the suddenness of it all. It was so confusing and unexpected that he almost forgot everything that had just happened altogether. He had to remind himself to breathe.

"What are your orders, Sir?" one man asked.

The new Fire Lord thought for a moment. "Go send out word to all of the Generals, Admirals and others in charge of leading soldiers and tell them to forfeit and retreat from the battles around the city peacefully."

The soldiers bowed again and left quickly to fulfill their new master's orders. A new era had begun, and the war was at an end. The men would serve their new Fire Lord.

The throne room suddenly felt very empty, much to everyone's relief.

"Zuko!" Katara ran up to him and flung her arms around him. He kissed her and pulled her in close to him.

Toph and Iroh cheered and the three Spirit women laughed, Aang sighed and Sokka made gagging sounds, before both of the boys turned to look at the Spirit women.

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**Ok, sorry if that wasn't up to my usual standard, if you read the first A/N, you'll understand that I had a tough week, so please forgive me for anything that seemed inadequate. I tried my best and edited and rewrote a few times, so be happy it isn't way worse, cuz it could have been.**

**I hope you all liked it, I'm sure you at least get the main gist of things that happened so that I at least won't confuse you in the next chapter(s). No, it's not the end of the story yet. A few more chapters to go. So, thank you to everyone who's reviewed, and just remember that the rule is four (4) reviews by next Sunday or NO UPDATES! Got that clear? Yes, I've put it up a number cuz I can. Four reviews or no update.**

**Now go and review and JOIN TEAM ZUTARA! **


	26. 25: Arranged Heart Break

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I hope to hear from you all again at the end of this chapter.**

**The official death toll of the Black Saturday victims is at 201, and still counting. Once again, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to those people, and everyone else who was affected by the fires. **

**Well, other than that, not much else to say. Enjoy and please review.**

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**25. Arranged Heart Break**

"Where are you going?" Mai asked as a large group of soldiers ran past her in the opposite direction.

"We're sending messages of forfeit! Fire Lord Zuko's orders!" one answered as he passed.

She felt her heart miss a beat and the girl in pink standing next to her grabbed her shoulder excitedly. "Mai! Zuko's the Fire Lord!" Ty Lee cheered. "Aang must have won the war! Oh, Azula probably helped them. And now she'll be able to tell Zuko everything that's happened to her and he'll forgive her for everything and things will be great!" She paused for a moment to take in Mai's suddenly happy expression. "And I'm sure you'll be happy to see Zuko again too, won't you Mai?"

Mai touched the engagement necklace Azula had given her and her heart leapt. A small smile graced her lips and suddenly, she felt that she couldn't get to where Zuko was fast enough.

"Come on," she said, tugging Ty Lee's sleeve. She dragged her friend around the palace until they reached the place they knew a fight must have taken place – the throne room. But when they arrived, their eyes were met with a shocking scene. Three spirit women were floating in mid air. Much to their amazement and slightly to their horror, two of them where people they knew – Ursa and Azula! Most of the room was damaged. Yes, there had definitely been a fight there. And there was water all over the floor – definitely the cause of waterbenders. But the most shocking thing was there, in the middle of the room, near Ozai's dead body. Zuko was standing there, and he was lip-locked with and holding Katara in his arms. They were the centre of attention for everyone else in the room and no one saw the two newcomers standing in the doorway, just out of sight.

Mai's heart shattered as she watched the love of her life embraced with that waterbender.

"Oh… Mai…" She felt Ty Lee put a comforting hand on her shoulder. But that didn't help her heartache. Tears of hurt and jealousy streaked her face.

* * *

When Zuko and Katara broke apart, they were panting and blushing like mad.

"Well done, everyone! Aang, I see you managed to enter the Avatar State after all and call upon the spirits for help," Iroh indicated to the three spirit women.

Everyone – except Toph – looked up at Ursa, Yue and Azula in confusion.

"Um… hi there," Azula waved awkwardly and unintentionally drifted a little closer to her mother and the other Princess.

Everyone just kept looking up at them in a mixture of confusion, admiration and shock. Once again, Toph was the exception, and she leaned over and whispered to Aang, "Wait, so… what's going on?"

He shook his head to rid himself of the shock and confusion and after taking a deep breath, he started explaining it to her so that everyone could hear. While he explained, with a little help from Iroh, the others began to understand and look between the Avatar and the three spirit women.

Half hesitantly, Zuko stepped forward, looking at his passed relatives and tears came to his eyes. Azula drifted over to her uncle and whispered something to him. Zuko raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously as she smiled at him, mischievously.

Iroh nodded to whatever she'd said and walked over to the dead body of his brother. He knelt down and took the Imperial Flame from his hair.

"Zuko, pull your hair up," the Spirit of Ursa instructed. Zuko looked at her for a moment in confusion, question in his eyes. But she said no more.

Everyone else was silent as they watched what was happening, curious and still excited by what had just and was happening.

Slowly, Zuko obeyed and pulled his hair up into a topknot bun, pulling the ribbon to tie it with from somewhere within his robes.

His uncle approached him, smiling, and placed the Flame in his hair. Zuko smiled at his uncle as he realized what was happening and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

He looked to his mother, "Thank you."

Ursa smiled at him and drifted over to hug him. When they broke apart, he looked to his sister, "Are you really gone?"

The young woman hesitated, "Yes, but you'll do fine without me," she tried to assure him with a half smile.

Zuko smiled sadly at her for a moment and then turned back to his mother, "I'm sorry I couldn't keep her safe," he said.

Ursa cupped his face in her hands, "You did what you could. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of both of you." She looked to the Fire Princess. Azula drifted in towards her mother and brother and wrapped her arms around them. They hugged her back and Ursa gestured for her brother-in-law to join in. Iroh did, and they all held each other tightly. In the back of his mind, Zuko made a mental note that spirits could be literally felt and touched… sort of. It felt very awkward with his arms around his dead mother and sister and much different to anything he'd ever felt before. It was almost as if, were he to squeeze too tight, he'd go right through them. Iroh seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

Right at that moment, a messenger ran into the room and the family broke apart.

"My Lord," he bowed to Zuko. "Some of the soldiers from the Avatar's invasion are coming to see you, him and his friends. Is that alright or should I tell them to leave?"

"That's fine," Zuko allowed. The messenger bowed again and disappeared.

"Yue," Azula caught the other Princess's attention. She glanced at Sokka and Yue nodded.

"Good idea." The two Princesses floated off after the messenger, leaving the others – except Ursa – looking rather confused. They returned a few minutes later with a small group of the invaders.

"Dad!" Sokka and Katara cried gleefully and ran to embrace their father.

But it was not the Water Tribe man the two spirit girls were intent on. Yue and Azula took a hand each of a green clad warrior and led her over to Sokka. It was Suki. When Suki looked ahead of her to see Sokka, her heart leapt. Sokka's mouth fell open slightly and he had to remind himself to breathe. Both of them smiled at each other.

Azula took one of Sokka's hands and Yue took the other. They placed each of Suki's hands in one of his and let go of both of them. Sokka felt tears sting his eyes as he looked back up at the two Princesses that had once been his lovers. "Thank you," he whispered, and they smiled at him.

"Take care of him, Suki," Yue said, the Kyoshian nodded. A few tears of her own were gleaming in her eyes.

"Make sure he takes care of you." Suki laughed a little at Azula's words. Then, she looked at the Fire Princess thoughtfully for a moment and spoke quietly and gently.

"It was you, wasn't it? You're the girl, who came and told us last night, that they would come for us today," Suki asked the Fire Princess.

Sokka looked at Azula in a mixture of shock and gratitude. She nodded and smiled, but never took her eyes off Suki. Perhaps she just couldn't stand looking at Sokka at that moment for some obvious reasons.

"Thank you," Suki smiled, and Azula's face lit up with satisfaction.

Ursa came up to the two spirit girls and led them away from their former lover and his new one. Zuko approached them once more and looked up at his sister.

"So… you really were on our side this whole time?"

Everyone else in the room fell silent once more and watched and listened, trying to catch on or catch up to what was happening.

She smiled and nodded, "Of course, I could never hurt someone innocent on my own will."

"Innocence…" he breathed after a moment and his eyes scanned the wedding dress and black veil, lingering on the place on her neck where an engagement necklace once hung. "I'm gonna get back at him for this. He's not getting away with it."

Everyone else –who was human – looked at him in confusion. They understood already that Azula had never really wanted to be on her father's side and that it had all just been an act, but what was all this talk about innocence? Who was Zuko going to get back at?

"I will redeem you," he announced quietly.

Azula smiled lovingly back at him and drifted so that she was touching the ground with her feet. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly and he returned the embrace, more than willingly.

Tears streamed from both their eyes, but Azula's tears were silver and shone like stars. They did not stay in the Spirit World – they were real and they would stay in the mortal world for all eternity and disappear like normal tears.

"So, let me get this straight. There are three spirit women standing in the room right now. Two are floating in the air where I can't see them and Azula is the one hugging Zuko and I can _just_ see her, kind of," Toph tried to get clear.

"Yea, pretty much," Aang nodded.

"And the three of them are here because when you went into the Avatar State a minute ago, you somehow summoned them, or asked them for their help or something?"

"Yep!" Aang smiled, feeling proud of himself. He hadn't even realized that he was summoning spirits… he didn't know he _could_ do that!

"Ok, so, now I'm lost. Zuko said he's gonna redeem her… didn't she redeem herself just now?" she asked.

"In one way, she did… but there's more to my little sister than you'll ever know," Zuko informed his friends, pulling slightly out of Azula's embrace only half-heartedly and turning to face them. He wouldn't tell them she had been raped or forced to do anything just yet; it would completely spoil the moment.

Ursa came and took a gently grip on her daughter's wrist and she relinquished her grip on her brother hesitantly. Ursa held Yue's wrist in her other hand as she led the two younger girls upward. They were about to reenter the Spirit World and disappear from existence there.

"Toph, take care of Zuzu for me!" Azula called and the blind girl gave her a thumbs up as and a grin. The Fire Princess couldn't help but smile as Toph tried to guess where exactly she was floating. Toph couldn't help but feel really proud of herself and really happy inside and overjoyed that the Fire Princess was giving her such a responsibility. Azula was basically telling her that she wanted her to be Zuko little sister. Toph would never replace her, and all three of the 'siblings' understood that, but the more the merrier. Anyway, _someone_ needed to take care of Zuko.

But something caught Azula's eye as two figures stepped into the room. She stopped her mother and Yue before they could go anywhere and they turned to the newcomers. It was Mai and Ty Lee. Each of them looked between her and her brother.

Mai stepped forward and Zuko stared at her with a look of uncertainty on his face. He had absentmindedly started holding Katara's hand again and Mai was looking between them.

"Mai…" the new Fire Lord whispered, unsure of what he was going to say. But he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was hurt and fighting to keep back tears. He didn't want her to cry; he still cared for her and loved her, but not in the same ways he use to. Those feelings were for Katara now.

Ty Lee followed her in quietly, lingering in the background, unsure of what to do with herself. There was Mai, one of her close and best friends in the whole world and who no one could replace. But she'd seen the kiss just as well as Mai had, and she could tell that what Zuko and Katara had between them was more than just a little crush. What if it was true love? What if _they_ were _supposed_ to be together? Was she still supposed to side with Mai and try and fight Katara off so that Mai could have her man back, or was she supposed to let Mai fight this battle on her own?

Zuko quickly gathered his scattered thoughts.

"Mai, please –"

She put up a hand to signal for him to be quiet and Zuko fell silent immediately. Mai drew her hand up to the collar of her shirt and pulled it down to reveal the engagement necklace. Zuko's eyes widened in shock and horror. No, no, no! This just couldn't be happening to him! This was just too much!

"Where did you –?"

"It was given to me on my seventeenth birthday. They told me you were meant to give it to me." Her eyes flickered towards Azula, but the three spirits were the only ones who noticed. But they'd already known that it was Azula who had accidentally caused this problem. The Fire Princess bit her lip and hunched her shoulders slightly in guilt and watched her brother watching Mai.

Zuko was silent for a long moment. Mai's eyes told him that she was heart broken and it made him feel sick, because he knew it was his fault.

"I don't think you understand though," she whispered to him. "You think you don't have to marry me because you love someone else. It's not like that."

Zuko was confused, "How is it not like that?"

He heard his Yue gasp from her mid-air position as if in realization and he turned to face her. She and Azula and their mother looked pityingly at Zuko and Katara and Mai. Toph noticed Iroh suddenly tense and internally start to break down.

"Mr. Iroh…?"

"Zuko –" His uncle came and put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you remember when you were four?"

Toph silenced herself, knowing she was about to have her question answered. She moved to the other side of Katara and, for reasons unknown, took some of the material of Katara's sleeve into her hand and hung onto it, like a child holding onto her mother's skirt when something was scaring her, or a friend assuring or warning someone close to them about something that had happened or was going to be revealed.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked his uncle.

"The day we met," Mai put in.

"Oh… yea?" As soon as Mai said that, Zuko got that gut feeling. Something was terribly wrong, and he was about to find out exactly what.

"The marriage…" Ursa's spirit whispered. "It was… arranged."

And Zuko's heart froze. He remembered that day all too well. That day had haunted him most of his childhood and now that he had been reminded of it, it would haunt him once again.

The day Zuko had met Mai, their father's shook hands in agreement. They had agreed that, once both children were of age, they would be married. Mai had been more than exited, but Zuko had been annoyed; he had only just met the girl! He didn't want to marry her and he didn't particularly want to get to know her either. She was creepy and dark and seemed huffy when he observed her from a distance.

But he had had no say in it; it had been solely their fathers' decision. Even if neither of them had wanted it, it still would have happen.

"The only way to call this one off would be if Mai's father died," Iroh slowly and sadly informed everyone as a tear silently slipped down his nephew's right cheek. He felt Katara tighten her grip on his hand.

"My Dad's still alive," Mai whispered.

"But –"

"Zuko, you know this is way too complicated to get out of. The only way is if Mai's father dies, and surely you don't want any more blood spilt!" his mother pleaded, although she wished that she could change it all somehow.

The Fire Lord shook his head sadly. Zuko and Mai looked into each other's eyes, into the other's mind, their heart and soul.

"C'mon, Zuko," Mai whispered, sick inside from knowing that it was hurting him so much.

"I'm sorry, Z-Zuko. There is no… no other way out of… out of it," Iroh breathed through sobs. This had to be the most depressing moment in the old general's life – except when Lu Ten had died. Just when his nephew had finally found somebody that he loved and somebody who loved him in return, he was being forced apart from her and into the arms of another woman who he didn't have those feelings for. What a terrible fate, Iroh deemed it. He never wanted to have to see this day for his own nephew.

Zuko bowed his head again and tears poured silently from his eyes and his grip on Katara's hand tightened for a few seconds. Then, head still bowed, he stepped towards Mai and let go of Katara's hand and her fingertips brushed his to the points as it fell away.

He stood next to Mai as a messenger came in.

"My Lord," he bowed, "there is much to be prepared and decided on; you are urgently needed for many things and your orders are needed for the military department."

"It would be best if you got straight into it, my Nephew," Iroh informed him, pulling himself together quickly.

Fire Lord Zuko nodded.

"Oh, yes, and Lady Mai –" The messenger boy turned to her. "A letter from your mother is waiting for you in your room."

Mai nodded to signal that she would go and read the letter and the messenger bowed once more and left.

"Well, we better all do our chores," she sighed in her usual bored tone.

Zuko nodded and Mai turned on her heals and left the room silently. Ty Lee thought of going after her, but for that moment, her feet were rooted to the spot, not knowing if that was the right thing to do or not, or if it was wise. Mai looked too solemn. The only reason she'd look so after having her heart broken like she just had would be if she was truly angry. So, she stayed where she was.

"Goodbye," Zuko whispered to everyone behind him, knowing that he may well not get a chance to say it again before they all headed off home.

He followed Mai, but before he could leave the room, he looked back over his shoulder to look at Katara. Tears were streaming down her face and her bottom lip was trembling. Sokka had a hand on the girl's shoulder and everyone else looked so sad that it was almost as if they had lost the war instead of won it.

Iroh followed his nephew out of the room to do the things he would need to (aka. drink tea… ok, _and_ help Zuko with everything. But mainly to drink tea! He so badly needed some after all this tragedy and excitement). The warriors and everyone who had been a part of the invasion (Teo, the Mechanist, The Duke, Haru, Haru's father, and Pipsqueak) filed out of the room until the only ones left were Katara, Aang, Sokka, Ty Lee, Toph, Suki, Hakoda and the three Spirit women.

"What a tragic ending for the day…" Azula breathed as yet another silver tear fell from her transparent face.

"It's time for us to go now," Ursa told her and the other Princess.

Both girls nodded and they disappeared, giving last looks of sympathy and goodbyes to everybody who was still there.

All was silent and eerily still for a long moment. And then…

The Avatar's waterbending master fell to her knees and began to cry. Her father and Sokka raced to her side and rubbed her back and whispered soothing words to her. Ty Lee joined them after a moment, deciding that Katara needed comforting more than Mai.

Aang, Toph and Suki all watched in pity.

"I'm so sorry, but don't give up! Zuko's smart - he'll find a loophole before it's too late," Ty Lee told her.

But Katara didn't believe there was a loophole to find and she could tell that Ty Lee didn't either. She was shattered and her heart was aching.

_How can a day that suddenly turned really good suddenly go really bad again… or even worse?_

She couldn't keep her tears from falling. Her friends, both new and old, tried to calm her, but she couldn't stop.

She cried.

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**Ok, look, I'm really sorry if that was terribly confusing. Read over a couple of times if you didn't understand it the first time because there's actually quite a bit to take in... sorta. No, I am not turning into a full-blown Maiko supporter or anything, but I love to twist things up a bit, so I did this. Well, review, and tell me what you thought of it. BTW, once again, four (4) review or no update.**

**So yes, review and JOIN TEAM ZUTARA! **


	27. 26: Too Late

**I once again dedicate this chapter to the victims of the fires raging around Victoria. The latest death toll is 210. **

**Ok, I know I only got 3 reviews on the last chapter, but fanfic was down for the first few days after I posted it, so I'll let you off this time and give you the chapter. Also, yes, I know it's a day early. I'm not going to be home tomorrow to post it, so you all get it early, and hopefully fanfic will cooperate this week. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter! Enjoy, and R&R.**

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**26. Too Late**

The look in Katara's eye and on her face as Zuko had left had ripped his heart out and beaten it to a pulp.

_How can I marry Mai? I mean, I know that I loved her a few months ago, but now she's like a sister! I know that it's been arrange since we were three and four, but could Fate make my life any more heart breaking?! Why is it that with every good turn there is a twist that makes everything go wrong again, and then, just when things are looking up again, there's another twists and it all falls apart again?! Why is life so unfair?! _

Zuko couldn't keep his tears back very well and they slid down his cheeks. He wiped them away angrily as someone approached him from behind. He turned, half expecting to see Mai, but as he remembered that she had already gone to do her own thing, he realized it was his Uncle that had come to him.

"Prince Zuko –"

"I'm Fire Lord now, Uncle," he spoke in a choked voice.

"Nephew, are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, Uncle," he answered shortly. "I really don't want to talk about it."

With that, both men started their business as Fire Lord and retired General.

* * *

Mai entered her room with a mental discussion raging inside her head.

_That little bitch tried to steal my boyfriend!_

_I'm not so sure. I don't think she knew you guys were ever together._

_It doesn't matter now; I'm marrying Zuko!_

_But he doesn't love you; he loves that waterbender!_

_I already knew that! But even if I didn't love him or he did love me, I'd still have to marry him; it's an arranged marriage!_

_It can be called off if both of your fathers are dead._

_Well, mine is still alive!_

_Um..._

Mai caught sight of her mother's letter. She went over to it and picked it up, unrolled it and began to read.

As she read it, time slowed down and she found it hard for the new information to register in her head. The tears she had been fighting back so hard over Zuko fell and were joined with more from this news as she fell to her knees.

* * *

"So, what are you all going to do now?" Aang asked the group as they walked back towards where their last campsite had been set up that morning and where they had left Appa and Momo.

"Well, I guess it's back to Kyoshi for me, just until I figure out what to do next," Suki looked sideways at Sokka and they both blushed.

"Well, I could help you decide," he mumbled.

"How about you three?" Aang asked the Water Tribe family.

"We'll head back to the South Pole. I'm sure these two miss their Gran-Gran! I sure know that I do!" Chief Hakoda answered the airbender.

"I miss her seal jerky..." Sokka announced, looking down at his poor seal jerky deprived stomach. Katara stayed silent; she hadn't said anything since they had parted ways with Ty Lee and left the palace.

"And what will you do, Toph?"

"I guess I'll go and find my parents. I think I can get them to understand me now and I really miss them."

"What are you going to do, Aang?" Suki asked.

"I dunno. I guess I could go back to the Eastern Air Temple and stay with the Guru."

"Sounds neat."

They arrived at their destination and started packing away everything. Katara was doing her sleeping bag quietly when Sokka came up to her.

"Hey, can I talk to you?"

She nodded and they walked away from listening ears.

When they were a good distance from the campsite, they stopped, turned to face each other and looked one another in the eye.

"You really loved him, didn't you?" He didn't sound angry or annoyed and it made Katara feel just a little bit better. She nodded, but stayed silent. "Are you ok? You seem really down."

"How could I not be?! I was in love with him, Sokka, I really loved him, and he left me!" she sobbed. "She took him from me! I hate her! I hate them both!"

Sokka could tell that his little sister was really hurt as she lay her head on his shoulder and they held each other tightly.

"I don't think that's true."

"It is – it is true! I hate him! I hate her! I hate them both!"

"No, you don't. You're just jealous that Mai gets the guy she wants, who is also the guy you want and who was happily with you, and you end up with a broken heart. And you don't hate Zuko; you're just angry that he had to leave you, and you're sad and hurt. But you listen to me; if Zuko and Mai end up together then that means you weren't meant to be with him and that there's someone for you out there way better than him," Sokka whispered into her hair.

"Why does love have to hurt so much?"

"It just does. But I know your pain; Yue was in an arranged marriage. Then she _died_. And same goes with Az-... never mind... but look at me now; I'm with Suki! Give it a while and the heart ache will go and you'll move on."

"Oh, Sokka... sometimes you know exactly what to say and when to say it," she thanked him.

"I know. Thanks."

They held each other in silence for a moment.

"Dad says the fleet is leaving for home tonight. We set sail once everyone's ready and we're dropping the Kyoshi Warriors off on the Island. C'mon, we should start... finish packing."

Katara nodded and followed her brother back to the campsite, where some other soldiers and Warriors had come back and started packing their own things.

* * *

"So, what's the plan for you, Toph? How are you getting home?" Aang asked.

"I dunno."

"Do you want a ride on Appa?"

The blind girl considered for a moment. "My options are flying or sailing. Let's see, both of them stop me from seeing properly, flying is pretty smooth, but it still makes me feel queasy, but sailing is a lot bumpier and rockier and actually does make me throw up. Flying is quicker than sailing. Hmm... ok, I'll let you fly me home!"

Aang laughed at her.

"We'll leave at the same time as everyone else tonight."

"Agreed."

* * *

Fire Lord Zuko had finally finished his daily jobs. His hap hazardous day was over at last.

_Well, there's just one last thing I need to do..._

He headed over to Mai's house; they needed to talk. When he reached the door, he knocked three times.

"Come in," came a faint, bleak, but unnaturally chocked reply from the other side of the door. He entered the room and shut the door behind him. His fiancé was lying on her bed, with a letter from her mother in one hand and tissues in the other and littering the floor around the foot of her bed.

Zuko nearly gasped, "Mai, what's wrong? Have you been crying?" It was a stupid question. It was quiet obvious that she had been crying.

"N-nothing's wrong," she lied.

Zuko raised his eyebrows as he sat at the foot of her bed and she sat up. She slid to sit next to him and in a flash she pressed her lips against his. He felt her open her mouth and automatically followed and he let her tongue enter his mouth. But the Fire Lord didn't kiss back; he couldn't make himself, but the pain her kiss caused him felt a good punishment for the pain he had caused Katara.

As she pulled away from him, he saw tears run down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" he asked again.

She sniffed and wiped the tears away. "Where's Katara?"

Zuko's blood froze as a thousand and one scenarios of what Mai would do to Katara rushed though his head. "Why?"

Mai was silent as she fingered at the pendant of her engagement necklace, "Because I have something that belongs to her."

Zuko did gasp this time, "What do you mean?! Mai, we're in an arranged marriage, the only way out is if your father is –"

"Dead. I know." At that, Mai held up the letter she had received from her mother. "There was an outbreak of penta-pox fever in Omashu and my father was one of the unlucky ones who were infected and didn't make it."

There was a stunned silence in the room as Zuko took in what the girl had just told him and Mai tried and failed to hold back tears. She began to sob and Zuko wrapped his arms around her and held her gently. Her head rested on his shoulder and it quickly became soaked.

"I'm so sorry, Mai," he whispered.

After a few minutes, she straightened up again and looked him in the eye.

"I love you Zuko, I really do, more than anything. But I know that you don't love me, I know you're in love with Katara and I know she loves you." Mai gently untied her necklace and slipped it into Zuko's hand. "The marriage is off. My family – or what's left of it – needs me. I'm going back to Omashu to be with them."

Zuko stared dumbly at her and at the engagement necklace he held in his hand.

"Mai..."

She kissed him again, this time more deeply and she was crying at the same time. Zuko could taste her salty tears. He pulled away from her after a moment and she sat back.

"C'mon, let's go and find your girlfriend and tell her the good side of the news." Mai stood and walked towards the door.

She was about to open it when Zuko caught her forearm. She turned back to face him and he was standing too.

"Thank you, Mai. You've got no idea how much this means to me."

They looked at each other again and slowly their faced drifted closer. Their eyes shut and their lips met once more, but they could both feel that it meant nothing. There were no bells or fireworks, no magic. It was an empty kiss.

They broke apart and left the room together.

* * *

"Last call for the South Pole and Kyoshi!" Bato shouted to everyone who was still ashore. The last of the Water Tribesmen and the Kyoshi Warriors boarded the vessel and people shouted goodbyes to each other, from the farewell givers on the docks who had befriended them, to the party of leavers.

"Are you ready?" Sokka asked his little sister.

Katara cast a look at the black outline of the palace, "I'm ready. Let's go."

After a few more minutes, the fleet of Water Tribe ships had set sail. The crowd that had gathered on the docks disappeared quickly and before the ships had gone very far; it was late and there was still much for the locals to do.

Katara looked back at the Fire Nation's capital city once more before she let her brother lead her bellow deck.

* * *

It was a full moon as Appa flew up into the sky. It was a clear night and Aang could see the crowd on the docks giving farewells to the Water Tribe fleet and the larger Earth Kingdom ships, heading in the opposite direction.

Toph sighed as she lay back in the saddle. "I can't wait to get home."

"I can't wait to figure out what to do for the rest of my life," Aang thought out loud.

Toph giggled a little, "Promise that you'll visit me."

"Of course I will! And I'll write to you as often as I can."

"There's just one problem with that. I'm blind – I CAN'T READ!!!"

Aang was a little afraid at first, but noticed the playful grin on her face and realized that she was only joking with the harsh tone.

"Can you get your Mum to read it out to you?"

"But then you'd have to keep it all clean. And I'd have to get her to write the reply for me, so I'd have to keep that clean too!"

"What do you mean "clean"?"

"You know!" Toph grinned. "Flirting, swearing, certain topics."

"Oh, right," Aang laughed, raising an eyebrow at the girl. But he dismissed her statement quickly.

Momo sat on the monk's head as he settled back to talk to Toph for the rest of the night.

* * *

"Uncle!" the Fire Lord called out as he and Mai ran up to him. "Do you know where Katara and the others are?"

"They would be leaving now. Katara would be on a ship with Sokka and her father. They are about to set sail now if you wish to join the farewell party on the docks."

Both Mai and Zuko were stunned at the news.

"Where is she going?"

"Back home, to the South Pole," Iroh informed them, matter-of-factly.

They looked at each other and then started running as fast as they could.

"Hey, where are you two going in such a hurry?!"

Neither of them answered.

* * *

Katara lay in the dark, wide awake in her bed.

"Katara, are you awake?" Sokka whispered to her.

"Yes."

"Are you still upset?"

Katara didn't answer straight away. Sokka had his moments when he knew what to say and when to say it, but sometimes he asked or said the stupidest things.

"Yes."

"Do you think you'll ever see him again?"

"No. And to be perfectly honest, I don't ever _want_ to see him again."

Both water siblings were silent for a moment.

"Sokka?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you still think about Yue whenever you're with Suki?"

The Water Warrior didn't answer straight away. "I can't help but think about her sometimes. But with each day I'm with Suki, I think about Yue less and less. I'll never forget her, but I'll move on. I _have_ moved on."

They were silent for the next few hours as they sailed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Zuko was running as fast as he could. The streets were absolutely deserted except for him and Mai as they ran towards the docks.

_I have to find Katara. I need to tell her that I love her._

But his heart dissolved into nothingness as he saw that the Water Tribe ships were already far out at sea, mere specks along the horizon.

Fire Lord Zuko fell to his knees. It was too late. Katara was gone. Mai knelt down next to him and hugged him. He instinctively put his arms around her too.

"We're too late," he breathed.

"Zuko, I'm so sorry."

But it was no good. Nothing Mai said now could cure the heartache Zuko was feeling, of the man who, from childhood, had had his hopes raised so high and then slashed so many dreadful times, and was now, forever, broken.

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**I know, I know, I'm an evil person and incredibly cruel. Thank you! Thank you! Eh... anyways, what did ya think of that? Can you not wait for me to fix all of this up? Don't worry, I can promise you that Zutara will be brought back to life soon. Well, don't forget that you need to give me four (4) reviews before I'll update. Otherwise you'll never find out how the story ends! Mwahahaha! **

**Now, go and review and PLEASE JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	28. 27: A Place Called Home

**Beware: Azula and Zutara sadness and angst ahead. Get over it, because I promised my readers that everyone who deserved a happy ending would get one (Hint, hint, Azula fans). Oh, and in response to my anonymous reviewer 'guy', DON'T STOP READING! WE HAVEN'T HEARD THE LAST OF AZULA!!! But I'm not telling anyone how that's possible. ;) **

**Qell, R&R and most of all, enjoy. And please go and check out my one-shot that I aired last week 'Life Goes On...'. Pleeeeeeeease? But read this first! XD**

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**27. A Place Called Home**

Someone knocked on the door three times and it opened. A woman dressed in green stepped inside and shut the door behind her. Katara sat up to see it was Suki. The Kyoshi Warrior was stunned to see her for a moment.

"Is this the wrong room?" she whispered.

The waterbender shook her head and indicated to her brother. Suki smiled slyly at the sleeping boy. She tiptoed over to his bed and gently pulled back the sheets.

Sokka moaned and rolled over to face her, as she slipped into the bed next to him. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and he smiled up at her as she lay down next to him and kissed him, slipping her tongue into his mouth for a second.

"Naughty, Suki. Very naughty," he whispered as she slowly slid one of her legs onto the other side of him.

"I'm gonna go now!" Katara announced, as she quickly jumped out of her bed and ran out of the room, shutting the door gently behind her.

The waterbender walked quietly onto the deck and lent against the rails. They were far out at sea and there was no land in sight. She looked up at the full moon and thought.

_Why is he having such a good life? Why do I get heartbroken?_

_Katara, don't forget that he's had heartbreak too. He lost Yue. But remember what he said to you; you'll move on and find someone better if it wasn't meant to be._

_You're right; if Mai ends up with Zuko, then that means there's someone better out there for me. I've just gotta move on._

But Katara knew, deep inside, that it would take forever for her to move on from Zuko.

* * *

Sokka was sitting up with Suki in his lap. One of her legs was on either side of him. As they kissed, the Water Warrior slipped off her Kyoshi uniform. She removed his blue garments as she pushed him back so he was lying down again. Suki moaned in ecstasy as the water boy rolled over and she became underneath him.

* * *

Zuko and Mai walked back to Mai's house. They both lay down on her bed and fell asleep without another word.

When Mai woke up, Zuko's head was on her chest. She didn't move – she didn't want to. She knew that, once he woke up, he'd leave and she'd have to leave too.

_Katara may be gone, but he's still not going to marry me. Anyway, my family needs me and I need to be with them._

Zuko moaned in his sleep and snuggled his face into Mai's breast, absentmindedly. She had to resist a moan of her own. She decided that this was enough and that it was time to stop. Zuko didn't love her, so even if they were together, she couldn't be happy.

"Zuko, wake up." She shook him awake. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and they both sat up.

The Fire Lord's eyes were red from how much he had cried and how restlessly he had slept.

"C'mon, it's time to start your day. It'll be your first full day as Fire Lord."

Zuko smiled at her, "I guess it's time for me to get going," he croaked sadly.

Mai nodded as her ex-lover left her side. She sighed as he disappeared; it was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was just an hour past sunrise when the Fire Lord ran into his uncle.

"Nephew, I'm afraid we're starting the day on a sad note. We have your sister's funeral this morning."

Zuko slammed his palm to his forehead. _Could life get any worse?!_

"Why did you and Mai want to find Katara last night? Were you on time to see her off?"

"No, when we got there, they had already left. We were too late."

"Why did you want to find her?"

Fire Lord Zuko didn't answer for a moment. The fact that he didn't make it in time hurt him and talking about it made him feel worse.

"The wedding's off, Uncle. Mai and I aren't getting married. Mai got the news in her mother's letter; her father died. She knows that I don't love her and that I love Katara and she can't be happy with me unless I love her back. We went to go and find Katara to tell her that I really could be with her... but we were too late."

"Nephew, I'm so –"

"Don't pity me, Uncle! She's better off without me anyway. I should have known she was too good for me."

"Zuko –"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Iroh shut his mouth an nodded once, curtly. With that, they headed for the Fire Princess's funeral. Mai and Ty Lee were already sitting by the coffin of their passed best friend when Zuko and Iroh arrived.

It wasn't a very big funeral; only Zuko, Iroh, Mai and Ty Lee and the priest showed up. Only a few locals had come to pay tribute; everyone else was busy making amends and rebuilding what had been destroyed of the city in the previous day's events. But everyone knew that whoever hadn't shown up for the day would come and pay tribute their Princess some time later on.

They all cried for Azula throughout the ceremony. It went for an hour, but it felt like eternity.

When it was all over, Ty Lee went up to Zuko.

"Mai told me about the letter. I'm sorry you didn't reach Katara in time."

"It doesn't matter; she deserves better than me anyway."

There was silence between them all for a moment.

"So, where are we going to burry Azula?" Mai asked at last.

They all turned to the Fire Lord and he thought for a moment. "I think we'll burry her next to where our mother's memorial is," he decided.

His friends and Uncle nodded in approval. The funeral was over. They all left. Zuko headed for the War Chamber, where a meeting was about to start. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Suki quickly slipped her clothes back on.

"C'mon, five more minutes," Sokka begged.

"No, I can't," she giggled as she kissed him again. "We'll be arriving at Kyoshi Island later on today, I need to make sure me and the girls are ready."

"I don't get it; how are we moving so fast?"

"Because we have waterbenders to help speed things up," she informed him, matter-of-factly, as she slipped out of the door and disappeared.

Sokka lay back down and looked up at the ceiling. A satisfied smile was spread across his lips as he decided on something.

_Once things settle back down at home, I'm going to go back to Kyoshi Island and ask her to marry me._

It was final; he loved Suki more than anything, but he knew he couldn't marry her just yet. All this war business needed to settle down and they each needed to be at their own homes with their own families.

Sokka sighed; he didn't want to say goodbye to Suki. It was too soon. Today was going to be too quick. He knew it.

* * *

As Suki walked up on deck, Katara had to stop herself from laughing.

"What's so funny?" the Kyoshi Warrior asked innocently.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just trying _not _to imagine what happened between you and my brother last night."

"You're brother is good. When he got to my bra straps, he started –"

"Please, stop! I really don't want the details or even a brief outline!"

Suki shook her head as she went to round up the other Kyoshi Warriors. But beneath her skin, she was dying to go back to Sokka's bed and lie down next to him and give herself to him, all over again.

* * *

Finally, Zuko could sit down. There were no more meetings that needed his attendance and he finally was able to take a break. He sat in his seat in the throne room and thought. He missed Katara so much and it hadn't even been twenty-four hours.

_Why does love loss have to hurt so much?_

"Lady Mai is leaving for Omashu now. Do you want to farewell your friend with me, or am I meeting Ty Lee at the docks alone?"

The Fire Lord jumped to his feet as the sound of his uncle's voice startled him out of his short thoughts. Silently, he nodded and followed his uncle out of the room. He didn't love Mai, but it was true; they were indeed friends.

As Iroh had said, Ty Lee was waiting for them at the docks along with the families and friends of the others who were catching the ship to the port nearest Omashu. She and Mai were talking as the two men approached. They both looked up.

"Zuko, you came," Mai sounded vaguely shocked, otherwise, back to her usual, bored self.

"What? You think I'm going to let you go without saying goodbye?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. She snuck a small kiss to the corner of his mouth, but no one else saw. Zuko tried to ignore it, but only found himself thinking about Katara. Mai seemed to see his expression sadden as she let him go and stepped back.

_I guess I'll just never be the one for him._

She gave Iroh a fleeting hug and then hugged Ty Lee. When she straightened up again, she addressed all of them.

"Promise that you'll write, all of you. Omashu is such a _boring_ place."

"Maybe it won't be so boring now that King Bumi is in charge again! He seemed so funny when we were keeping him prisoner with Azula." Everyone fell silent at the mention of the Fire Princess. "Sorry," Ty Lee apologized.

"ALL ABOARD!" one of the head sailors called from the deck.

"I've got to go," Mai sighed.

She gave each of them another hug and she couldn't stop herself from kissing Zuko again. But this time, it was deeper, and both Ty Lee and Iroh saw it. Zuko gently pushed Mai back and she looked at her feet.

"So, there is absolutely no chance you'll come back to me?"

"No, Mai. I don't think I'll ever love you in that way again."

Tears swelled in Mai's eyes, but she blinked them back.

"Mai –"

"LAST CALLING! ALL ABOARD!"

"I have to go." She turned and ran up the ramp, onto the deck and leant against the railings to look at her friends. They waved to her and she waved back.

"Goodbye, Mai!"

"We promise we'll write!"

"Come visit us some time!"

"Goodbye, guys..." She felt a tear trickle down her cheeks as the ship set sail and moved away from the docks.

_And now, it's back to bleak, boring, Omashu for me... I hope Ty Lee is right; King Bumi did seem pretty funny._

But Mai had to do this; her mother and little brother needed her.

* * *

"Toph! Wake up!" Aang shook the blind girl awake.

"What's happening?" she yawned.

"You've been asleep all day; we're almost at your city."

"What?! Already?!"

"Yea, Appa can fly really fast, really easy, when there isn't a very heavy load, and at the moment, it's just you and me... and Momo!"

There was silence in the saddle for a moment. Momo jumped from Aang's shoulder to Toph's lap and fell asleep again, curling himself into a ball.

"How long until we reach my house?" Toph asked.

"Just a few minutes. Look, you can see the city from here, see?" He gestured out over the edge of the saddle. Toph rolled her eyes and scooted to peer over the edge. "Isn't the view amazing?" Aang sighed as he admired the sight from the air.

"If you can see."

"I feel sorry for anyone who can't see. They'd have to miss out on wonderful things like this." He spread his arms out in front of him to indicate the sight he was intrigued by.

"Yea, I'm sure you do. And I'm sure you'd be really considerate of them," Toph sighed as he leant against the edge of the saddle.

"Do you really think I'd be that considerate?" he smiled at her, obviously not realizing his mistake.

"No, Twinkletoes," she shook her head.

Aang frowned, "Why not?"

"Because you're telling me to look at something, AND _I'M _BLIND! I CAN'T SEE A DAM THING!"

"Oh, right... sorry…" He gave a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. But when he looked again, he realized that Toph was smiling. It was a playful, mischievous smile, just like it had been the night before, when he'd made virtually the same mistake.

"I love the way you forget I'm blind. It means that you see me as just any other person and you know that I can take care of myself. And that's exactly how you treat me."

Aang smiled, "Thanks... you're welcome... uh, one of those. You know what I'm on about!" Toph giggled and gently shook her head.

Appa landed at the edge of the city a few minutes later. The Avatar and his earthbending master walked into the city and headed straight for the Bei Fong estate. When they approached the front gates, the guard that was standing there gasped.

"Toph?!"

"Are my parents home? Has everyone heard about the victory with the war?"

"Yes, everyone knows about our victory in the war. And...um...yes, your mother and father are both home."

The blind girl stepped forward and the guard bowed as Aang followed her through the gates. But as they neared the front door, Toph stopped. Her face was anxious and uncertain. The Avatar put a comforting had on her shoulder.

"What if they don't believe it's me? Or even worse, what if they don't want me back?!"

Aang made Toph face him. He looked straight into her unseeing eyes as he spoke. "Toph, this is your mother and father we are talking about here, the people who kept you hidden from the world for twelve years. They wouldn't let you come and travel the world with me, even after they found out that you weren't defenseless. They sent those two men after us to bring you back home. If they don't love you, then I don't think there is such a thing. Trust me, Toph, they want you back. And they're your parents! Of course they'll remember you!"

Tears came to her blind eyes and trickled down her cheeks. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck and put her head on his shoulder. She hugged him tight and he hugged back. As Toph pulled away, she gave him a gently kiss on the cheek and felt her stomach to a summersault.

"Toph...I...uh..." But his heartbeat said everything for him and she put a hand up to make him stop.

_I should have known he wasn't ready to move on from Katara._

Forgetting about what had just happened, the two teenagers walked the rest of the way to the door and knocked.

"I'm sorry, but you don't have an appointment with Lord Bei Fong. He is very busy in a meeting right now."

"I think he can make an exception for his own daughter and the Avatar, Master," Toph bowed and the man looked down at her in shock.

Aang looked up at the man, and, sure enough, it was the blind girl's old earthbending master, also one of the two men Lord Bei Fong had sent after them to bring the girl home.

"Toph?! Toph! It's you! You've come back home! Hold on… why did you come home?"

"The war is over, silly. The Avatar has mastered all four elements and now it is time for me to come back here."

"So… wait, hold on a sec. Let me get this straight; after you made me chase you with that dumb wrestler guy, through dense forests, over mountains, through run down and deserted towns, over a blistering hot, merciless desert, through more forests, over a lake and all the way to Ba Sing Se where I finally caught you, only to lose you again half way back, you decide that you're going to just come back home?!" he asked in exasperation, taking a very deep breath at the end.

"Yep!" she answered him simply.

He slammed the palm of his hand to his forehead and sighed. "Come inside, both of you. I'm sure your parents will be delighted to see you, Toph. Follow me."

The man led them inside and Aang took in his vaguely familiar surroundings; he'd only been there once before.

"So, Master, how did you get out of the metal cell?" Toph asked casually.

He glared at her for a moment but then smiled. "It's a long story which I never wish I have to tell."

Toph grinned in satisfaction.

"You know, we truly did underestimate you, Toph. Everyone thought you needed help with things and couldn't defend yourself or cause anyone any harm, but you truly are the greatest earthbender in the world!"

Her smile widened and her old master signaled for them to stop as they came to a door. "I'll announce you to the room." He knocked three times on the door and then opened it and entered the room.

"Servant! I ordered that there be no disturbances unless it was urgent!" an angry Lord Bei Fong shouted.

"But, My Lord, surely you consider the return of your daughter and the Avatar urgent," the man gestured calmly.

"My daughter?!" Toph's father's voice had changed to excitement and curiosity.

"Lady Toph and Avatar Aang," he announced them to the room and they saw Mr. Bei Fong jump to his feet.

"Toph!" He raced forward and hugged his daughter. "Toph, you're alright! I was so worried!"

"Hey, Dad," Toph hugged her father back. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart."

Aang saw tears of joy run down the man's cheeks and he looked up at his master's master.

"Told you he'd be happy to see her," he chuckled.

Aang nodded and smiled at the father and daughter. He looked around and saw an important looking Earth Kingdom nobleman with a very impatient look on his face.

"Mr. Bei Fong," he started.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Cho, I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule our meeting."

The man called Mr. Cho rolled his eyes and left the room in a huff.

"What's going on in here?" a woman's voice came from a doorway on the other side of the room. "I could have sworn I heard someone yell - TOPH!!!" The woman caught sight of her daughter and lunged for her. She threw her arms around both child and husband and kissed Toph gently on the forehead.

"Hi, Mum."

"Oh, my baby! I missed you so much!" the woman sobbed.

"I missed you too, Mum, but it's alright; I'm home now." Tears were pouring from Mrs. Bei Fong's eyes and Toph was failing to keep hers back too.

"Welcome home, my darling."

* * *

Mai lay on the bed in her small cabin and she looked up at the blank ceiling.

_I miss Zuko already._

_I'm so bored; I should have asked Ty Lee to come with me._

_I miss Zuko._

_But does he miss me?_

Mai had to really think about it.

_Does Zuko miss me?_

_Of course not! He doesn't love you; why would he miss you?!_

Tears stung at Mai's eyes.

_We were friends – he loved me as a friend._

_But that's not what I wanted, was it?_

Mai sobbed.

"Oh, Zuko. Why did you have to fall in love with _her_? Why couldn't you have kept loving me?" But somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear the Fire Lord's voice.

"_I do still love you, Mai. Just not in the same way that you love me. But I do love you and I miss you heaps."_

Mai smiled to herself and sighed. Zuko did still care, she just knew it.

_I guess I'm just gonna have to move on._

_If I'm not ending up with Zuko, then that must mean there's someone else out there for me._

Mai sighed again and stood up and left the room, turning back into her normal, bleak, self.

* * *

It was late afternoon when the fleet docked on the shores of Kyoshi Island. The Warrior women were escorted off the ship and to their home village by a large group of the other soldiers and warriors from the invasion. Only a few men stayed to guard the fleet of ships.

Sokka and Suki walked side by side and hand in hand as they approached the edge of the town.

"Hey, everyone! The warriors are back!" several of the villagers shouted and within a matter of seconds, there was a crowd of people around the returning group.

"Suki!" the master of Kyoshi Island called to his daughter as he ran to embrace her.

"Hi, Dad!" She hugged him back and felt a few of his joy-filled tears drip into her hair. "We did it, Dad. We won!"

"I'm so proud of you. We all are. We're all proud of all of you!" Kyoshi's leader announced as he stepped back from his daughter and indicated to all of the other warriors, both Kyoshi and Water Tribe. His claim was backed with an approving shout from the villagers behind him.

"Welcome home!", "Congratulations!", and "Well done!" were heard being shouted from the villagers to the warriors.

The Kyoshians and everyone else went to go and enjoy the small amount of time they would all be on the island together. But before she could disappear, Sokka caught hold of Suki's arm and pulled her around to face him. He pressed his lips to hers tightly and she kissed back. Everyone around them stopped and looked at them in shock and amazement, wolf whistling and cheering for them. When they broke apart, they looked at each other.

"I love you," Suki whispered.

"I love you too. I can't stay, but once everything has settled back down, I'm gonna come back here and marry you."

The crowd around them burst out in cheers and clapping and congratulations as they kissed again.

* * *

Katara felt tears stinging at her eyes as she watched the happy couple. She turned and slipped away from the village and headed back towards the ships. After a moment she noticed footsteps behind her.

"You headed back as well?" Katara turned to see a young Water Tribe man, just a little older than Sokka. He had shoulder length, dark brown hair and his eyes were forget-me-not blue. He looked well built and was quite good looking.

The waterbender nodded in reply to his question. He smiled at her as he slowly caught up with her. Once he was next to her, he looked at her properly and frowned slightly.

"Aren't you Chief Hakoda's daughter?" Katara nodded again. "Why aren't you staying back there? Don't you want to tell everyone back home how you watched your brother make out with a Kyoshi Warrior?" He tried to sound sarcastic, but Katara could detect hurt and jealousy in his voice and eyes.

"No. Why are you heading back?"

"Because I can't really stand seeing other happy young couples just now; I just found out a few months ago that my lover had died. She lived in Omashu, I met her two years ago. She was one of the victims of a recent outburst of penta-pox and was one of the first infected," he explained sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"So, why are you heading back?"

Katara hesitated for a moment; she had only just met this guy. Should she be telling him anything quite this personal?

"Pretty much the same as you, only my lover is in an inescapable arranged marriage with his ex-girlfriend. I had to leave him in the Fire Nation with her."

"Hold on, weren't you going out with Prince Zuko or something? Someone said something about you kissing him!" The boy laughed lightly at the thought.

"Yea, I was. But like I said; he's in an arranged marriage with his ex. I really miss him and I'm trying to let go of him, but Sokka and Suki aren't really helping."

"Listen… Katara, isn't it?" She nodded. "Katara, if you're not with him, then you're meant to be with someone else, same goes with me and Kiki. She died, so I'm meant to be with someone else. I'm not ready to move on yet, but I will eventually."

"I've been telling myself that since I found out. Say, I missed your name!"

"It's Windu," he half smiled.

Katara smiled back, "Nice to meet you, Windu."

They walked back to the ship together.

* * *

Zuko looked up from the papers on his desk as a pink figure walked into the room.

"Oh, hi, Circus Freak," he smirked playfully.

"Hello, Zuzu." Ty Lee only half smiled and it shocked the Fire Lord a little.

"What's wrong?" he asked glumly. He wasn't in a particularly cheery mood either, but not seeing the usual smile of Ty Lee's face made him feel worse. He had hoped she would cheer him up.

"I miss Mai and Azula."

"Join the club," he sighed, flinching slightly at the mention of his little sister and biting his lip so as not to start getting emotional about it.

Ty Lee stared curiously at him for a moment, "They aren't the only people you miss, are they?"

"I still miss Mum. And I miss teaching Aang firebending. I miss Sokka's weirdness and funniness and I miss Toph acting like a little sister."

"What about Katara?"

The mention of his lost lover seemed to stab at Zuko's heart and tears formed in his golden eyes. Ty Lee looked at him pityingly.

"Zuko?"

"I miss Katara more than anything right now. Not for just a few certain reasons, I miss everything about her!" A tear streamed down his cheek as he began to raise his voice.

"Calm down, Zuko," she whispered as she reached forward with one hand to place on his shoulder. He pushed it away and she knew he was in a bad mood.

"Why? Why did you have to mention her? Why did you have to renew my pain of knowing I was too late to get her back and now she's gone?"

"Because, Zuko!" She raised her voice to match his and catch his attention. "You're giving up! You're giving up because you didn't get her the first time you went after her!"

"I lost her, Ty Lee! I broke her heart because I didn't reach her in time to tell her that Mai and I weren't getting married after all! She probably hates me! And now it's too late; she's gone all the way back to the South Pole!"

"Zuko, it's never too late! And I bet you anything that she still loves you!"

"It _is_ too late, Ty Lee! She's gone and she's not coming back!"

"Zuko! If forbid you to give up!"

"But –"

"Was it not you who was banished by your own father and sent on a seemingly hopeless mission to capture the Avatar?"

"I –"

"Was it not you who found him in the South Pole, chased him to the North Pole and then all the way to Ba Sing Se, constantly coming closer to fulfilling your goal?"

"That was –"

"And was it not you who ended up teaching him firebending and helping him win the war?!"

"Yes, but –"

"Did your mother not tell you, 'no matter what happens, no matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are,'?"

This time, Zuko had no retort; he was too shocked at Ty Lee's quote. How did she even know his mother had said that to him, anyway?

"And was it not you who your uncle gave the dagger with 'Never give up without a fight' engraved on the blade?"

The Fire Lord was silent for a moment as he took in Ty Lee's words.

"You're right, Ty Lee," he answered her quietly. "I can't give up."

"That's the spirit!" Ty Lee sighed inwardly as she finally convinced her friend.

They smiled at each other and Zuko pulled the acrobat into a tight, brotherly hug. She returned the embrace and they stepped back from each other. Then Zuko's smile disappeared and it was replaced with a frown... again.

"But how can I get her back now? She's probably all the way back at the South Pole by now."

"Well, go after her!"

"How?"

Ty Lee brought her palm to her forehead, "The same way as you got there the first time!"

Zuko stared blankly at her.

"You're the Fire Lord! Go and round up your old crew and get on a ship and sail after her!"

"Oh," he blinked, almost laughing at his own foolishness. Suddenly, his tone changed. "Well, if you had just given me a moment, I would have figured all of that out myself!" he snapped.

"Yea, sure you would have," Ty Lee gave a small laugh as she spoke sarcastically.

"I would have!"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"URGH! Girls are crazy!" Zuko stomped out of the room and Ty Lee had to try very hard not to start laughing as she remembered the last time she had heard him say that after a certain incident by the turtle duck pond.

But the joy left her as she remembered Mai and Azula's part in the event. She sighed and left he room and wandered around the palace. But as she walked, she saw Iroh watching her as he stood in a doorway.

Ty Lee smiled and skipped over to him.

"Did you do it?" he asked.

"It took a bit of effort, but I managed to convince him. You were right; his mother's words and the dagger you gave him really are subject that get deep under his skin! But he's a lot slower than I thought."

"He's at that age when the only thing on his mind are girls and it basically turns his brain into mush," the man explained with a chuckle.

Ty Lee giggled and turned to walk away, but Iroh caught her arm.

"Thank you," he smiled.

He let her go and they went on with their own business.

**

* * *

**

**Sorry for the short and boringness – this was just a filler chapter. The next one will be better!**

**Ok, so we are being reminded of parts of their childhoods now. And now, dun-dun, what do you all think about Windu? Windu is an Indonesian name. I named him after a guy I met at the Indonesian Embassy when my school took me their – it was my year 8 camp. Well, the guy taught us a cool as dance (which I can't remember), but I wrote his name down cuz I decided I'd use it for this character, who I had already thought of at the time. **

**So yea, tell me what you all think. 4 reviews or no update people! And please remember to check out 'Life Goes On...' for me and leave a review for that too. **

**And of course, JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!!!**


	29. 28: The South Pole

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* * *

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Not much to say. Fairly uneventful week. I'm tired... well, R&R and enjoy.

**To my anonymous reviewer 'guy': ok, I get the picture - you don't like Zuko. Don't keep reading if you don't want to, but I promise that we haven't heard the last from Azula! That's to everyone; don't you guys remember that promise I made earlier about making sure everyone who deserved a happy ending would get one? **

**Alright, now read, review and enjoy, as foresaid.**

* * *

**28. The South Pole**

Sokka held Suki tight as they said goodbye to each other. Everyone from the village came to where the fleet had docked on the beach to farewell the Water Tribe Warriors. Sokka felt tears in his eyes as he watched the Kyoshi Warrior shrink into the distance as he and the Water Tribesmen sailed away from the island.

When he could no longer see Kyoshi Island, he headed back to his cabin. He found Katara, already in there, lying on her bed.

"I was talking to some of the men who stayed behind. We should be reaching the South Pole by mid morning, tomorrow."

"Sounds good." But the boy himself didn't seem all that happy.

"Hey, cheer up, Sokka; you'll see her again soon. Anyway, aren't you looking forward to seeing Gran-Gran again? She'll probably make us seal jerky and heaps of other yummy foods that you like!"

Sokka smiled at his sister. He walked over to her bed and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled back at him as he slipped into his own bed.

It was early, but Sokka was tired and, surprisingly enough, he wasn't hungry; he had eaten plenty before they had left the island. He was asleep in a few minutes and Katara followed suit not long after.

* * *

"Thank you for letting me stay so long, but I really must be going, Mrs. Bei Fong," Aang bowed politely as he began to head towards the door.

"It was a pleasure to have you, and thank you so much for bringing her back to us in one piece!"

"Actually, she kept _me_ in one piece; she didn't need anyone else to take care of her… except for that time she almost drowned, but Suki saved her!" Aang laughed.

"You nearly drowned?!" Toph's mother gasped. "Oh, you must tell me all about your travels, dear!" She stroked the young girl's hair.

"Farewell, young Avatar Aang! Have a safe trip and feel free to come back and visit whenever you want!" Lord Bei Fong called as the boy opened the door.

"Ok, thank you."

"Twinkletoes!" Toph rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "Promise you'll write."

"But, you can't read," he reminded her, as he returned the hug. He laughed to himself, remembering that they'd had this very conversation just last night, on their way.

"My mum can."

"Ok then," Aang nodded, deciding not to repeat Toph's comments about 'keeping it clean'.

He felt Toph kiss him quickly but lightly on the cheek, "Goodbye," she whispered.

They let go of each other and Aang left. He looked back over his shoulder to see them waving at him. He smiled and waved back before they disappeared from sight. Aang walked silently back to Appa and Momo and settled down to sleep. They'd leave for the Eastern Air Temple in the morning.

* * *

Mai sat on her own in the train as it headed towards Omashu. It was early morning and the sun wasn't even up yet. She had gotten off the ship only and hour ago and had boarded the train immediately. It was still another two hours until they entered Omashu and Mai knew it was still going to be dark.

She was bored out of her mind.

_It'll be over soon. Just think, only two more hours and then you can get into a nice, comfy bed of your own._

She looked around the carriage. Most of the people around her were soldiers who had fought alongside the Avatar, who had been recruited from Omashu. There were only a handful who were obviously not from Omashu, but from somewhere close by.

_Two more hours…_

* * *

"Thank you for all being here on such short notice and at this hour. I'm glad to see how eager you all are," Zuko greeted the sleepy men in front of him, who had volunteered to crew his ship. Funnily enough, each of the men had been in his crew when he was banished and each of them were maintaining their positions.

"It is always an honour to serve you, My Lord," came the familiar voice of Lieutenant Jee.

Zuko smiled at him and nodded; something none of the men before his had known him to do often.

"Are there any questions before we set sail?"

"Um… why are we goin' back to the South Pole again?" one man yawned.

"We're finding his girlfriend, you idiot!" the man beside him snorted.

"Any others?"

"Is General Iroh coming?" the helmsmen asked hopefully.

"No, I am not coming with you. I am simply here to wish you all a safe travel," the man spoke from behind his nephew. "Besides, someone has to take care of things here while Zuko is gone."

The helmsmen – and the rest of the crew – seemed disappointed, but understood the man's intentions.

"Anybody else?" Zuko asked.

"Will we still have Music Night?" someone asked. A few of the men snorted with laughter, but Zuko just shook his head in annoyance.

"We'll see, soldier."

When no one else spoke, Zuko ordered everyone to assume their posts on the ship; it was exactly like his old one.

"Uncle, if I were you, I'd get off now or you'll end up coming with us. And if you're with us, then Ty Lee will pretend that she's the Fire Lord and then everything will be pink when we get back," Zuko joked, although his voice remained serious.

Iroh chuckled at the thought, "Good luck, my Nephew," he called as he walked back onto the docks and the ship set sail.

"Goodbye, Uncle!" he waved from the railings. He stood there until he could no longer see his uncle and then he went to control his ship.

* * *

When the train finally stopped, they were in Omashu. As Mai stepped outside, she saw families becoming whole again as sons and brothers and fathers and husbands returned and found their loved ones. She looked around the train station for her mother.

"Mai-Mai!" Something tugged at her sleeve and she looked down.

"Tom-Tom!" She reached down and picked her little brother up and suddenly, her mother was at her side.

"Welcome home, sweetheart."

The two women hugged and slowly made their way out of the station, collecting Mai's luggage as they left.

"I'm going to bed. We'll talk later," was the first thing Mai said when they got home. And she disappeared into her room.

* * *

Suki sat on the beach and looked out in the direction the Water Tribe fleet had sailed away in. She sighed. The ship had disappeared hours ago, but she hadn't wanted to go back to the village. She hadn't eaten or slept all night and the sun was starting to rise.

"Suki, come home now. You need your rest," her father's voice spoke from behind her.

The warrior woman stood up and brushed the sand off her clothes. She walked quietly back to the village with her father.

_I know Sokka said he will come back, but __**when**__? __**When**__ will he come back?_

She desperately wanted to know how long she would have to wait and she really wanted it to be soon.

Suki touched her belly as she walked into her bedroom. The night she had spent on the ship, she had given herself to him. As she lay down, she wondered if she would be a mother in nine months time.

* * *

"Iroh, do you know when Zuko is leaving for the South Pole?" the girl in pink asked, as she bounced up next to the old man.

"He left a few hours ago, Ty Lee," Iroh informed her.

"Oh…" Her eyes lost some of their brightness.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him."

Iroh smiled gently at her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Do not worry, he will not be gone forever. We will see him again soon."

She smiled at his reassuring words and her eyes lit up again.

"Come and have some tea with me," Iroh offered.

The young acrobat nodded in acceptance and followed the retired general away.

* * *

"Sokka! Katara! Wake up! Quick, get ready! We're almost home!"

Sokka and Katara sat up and rubbed the sleep out of their eyes to see their excited looking father.

"Five more minutes," Sokka yawned as he lay back down and pulled the covers over his head.

Hakoda rolled his eyes and walked over to his son's bed. Katara watched in amusement as her father ripped back the covers of Sokka's bed.

"Dad!"

Hakoda flipped the mattress off the bed and Sokka cried out in shock. Katara started laughing as she watched Hakoda grab his son's ankles and drag him out from under the mattress and out into the chilly corridor.

"Dad! Stop!" Sokka kicked himself free of his father's grip and darted back into the room, pulled the blanket out from under his mattress and wrapped it around his shivering frame.

Hakoda followed him in laughing and Sokka turned to glare at him.

"That was _not_ funny!"

"No, Sokka," Katara choked through her laughter. "It wasn't funny… it was flippin' hilarious!"

Sokka glared at his sister, but his bottom lip trembled as he slowly failed to stop himself from joining her in laughing. Soon, he was doubled over next to his father, while Katara threw herself back on her pillows, unable to keep herself upright any longer.

When the trio had finally calmed down, Hakoda left and his children started getting ready for when they arrived home. After half an hour, they made their way on to the deck. As they looked in the direction of where they were heading, they gasped. A gigantic ice fortress had been erected in front of where the village should have been and the symbol of the Southern Water Tribe had been carved into the centre. Everyone else on deck seemed confused about the new architectural structure, until Katara spoke up.

"Hold on! Sokka, remember when we left the North Pole? Master Pakku said that he and some of the other waterbenders were going to come and rebuild the city! They must have already come down and started, because I don't think Gran-Gran did this!"

"Oh, yea!"

As they neared the Southern Water Tribe, a single ship sailed out to meet the fleet. Sokka and Katara recognized the design immediately as Northern Water Tribe. And sure enough, as it came and started sailing back to the city along side the lead ship of the fleet, Master Pakku appeared at the railings.

"Hello, there, my Southern brothers!" he called to them.

"Hi, Master Pakku!" Katara ran to the railings of the lead ship so he could see her.

"Katara! Good to see you!"

She smiled at him as Sokka and her father came to stand either side of her.

"Greetings, Sokka! And you must be Chief Hakoda!"

"I am indeed. You must be my daughter's waterbending master," he guessed, placing a hand on Katara's shoulder.

Both master and pupil nodded.

"Come, we'll take you into the city."

"City?! When we left, it was a small village!" Sokka shouted.

"It's been upgraded back to what it was about a century ago, before the first raids," he explained.

The Northern Water Tribe ship sailed ahead of the fleet and entered the city. The fleet had to follow in single file. As they sailed to the ship dock, people started chattering excitedly from the footpaths and bridges.

As people left the ships, they ran to find their families and joyful cries could be heard in every direction as loved ones were found. But here and there, a family stood, crying, having just received the news that a brother, a son, a father, an uncle or a husband had been lost in battle.

"Impossible."

"No…"

These were the words accompanied by the news.

Sokka, Katara and Hakoda searched the crowd for the face they so badly wanted to see. And there it was, searching for them, just meters away.

"Gran-Gran!" Katara shouted.

The woman turned towards her and her lips stretched into a wrinkly smile as she spotted her grandchildren and son-in-law. They sprinted the short distance towards her and they all embraced each other tightly.

"We missed you so much, Gran-Gran!"

"I'm so hungry; Katara still needs cooking lessons!"

"Oh! You ungrateful little –"

"It's good to see you again," Hakoda cut in.

"It's good to see you again as well, Hakoda," she smiled at the man.

"You never complained up until now, you annoying, greedy –"

"Katara, Sokka, that's enough!" Gran-Gran snapped. "I will continue giving Katara cooking lessons if she needs them or not, but I will be cooking for the majority of meals from now on! Now, stop complaining, apologize to Katara and thank her for feeding you while you were away."

Sokka sighed, "I'm sorry I bagged your cooking, Katara. Thank you for not letting me starve during our travels."

"And I'll never let you forget it!"

"Katara!" her grandmother half chuckled.

"Sorry, Gran-Gran," the waterbender giggled.

They all smiled at each other. The next one to speak was Hakoda. "Come on, let's all go inside and settle down."

* * *

"How long until we reach the South Pole?" Zuko asked Lt. Jee as he looked at the map.

"A week; it would be quicker if we had waterbenders aboard and if the tides and weather was in our favour. By the looks of it, we're gonna have to pull into a cove later on today to shelter from a storm."

Sure enough, by mid afternoon, the black clouds that had been teasing the sun all day obscured the sky and thunder began to roll. The Fire Lord ordered the helmsman to direct the ship to safety and they took refuge from the weather. But it was no ordinary storm, this was a strong, midsummer storm and it didn't clear until late afternoon.

The ship continued its journey as soon as it could. No obstacle would stop Zuko from finding Katara, no matter how big and ugly.

_Never give up without a fight._

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**Ok, how did ya like that? Tell me in a review! Alright, guys, ya know the drill - 4 reviews or no update! Got it? Ok, good, I love you all and you know it ;)**

**BTW, JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	30. 29: Mai's Letters

**Ok, I know I didn't get 4 reviews for last chapter (only 3, but still), but I'm in a particularly good mood (thank you to Chocolate Thunder who started reviewing me and has reviewed ever chapter, I feel very special), so I'm gonna give you the next chapter even though I said I wouldn't. But this is only gonna happen this week - gimme 4 reviews for this chapter or I won't update!**

**Ok, now please R&R and thank you very much, enjoy!**

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**29. Mai's Letters**

_A week later..._

As Ty Lee came out of the post office, she saw a familiar blue arrow tattoo. She almost dropped the scroll of paper she had brought.

"Aang?!"

"Oh, hey, Ty Lee," the Avatar smiled.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay at the Eastern Air Temple with that Guru."

"I was, but he seems to have disappeared," Aang explained. "Anyways, I thought I'd come back here to see if Zuko needed any help with things. Speaking of Zuko, how is he? Did I miss his and Mai's wedding?"

Ty Lee was momentarily shocked by the question, but then she remembered that not many people outside of the group it directly affected knew about the cancellation of the marriage… and even fewer knew of the marriage in the first place.

"Oh, you wouldn't have heard the news. Mai's father died. The news was in the letter her mother sent her the day we won the war! So, Mai told Zuko and she knew he really wanted to be with Katara and she said "go after her. I could never be happy with you unless you loved me back," but… she said it in different words. So, Mai's gone back to Omashu!"

"Ok, that's sad that her dad died. Hold on, so, Zuko and Katara are together again?!" Aang felt the jealously returning to him.

"Not exactly; when Zuko found out, he and Mai ran out to the docks to find Katara, but the fleet of Water Tribe people had already left. But then, about a week ago, Zuko got together his old crew and set off for the South Pole! He's gonna find her and tell her that he love her! Oh, it'll be so romantic!" Ty Lee sighed at the thought of someone traveling half way around the world just to tell her that they love her.

"Oh, ok. I guess I'll keep moving then."

"No, way! Stay a while, at least until Zuko comes back."

Ty Lee's eyes were bright and pleading.

_She must be so bored with Zuko, Mai and Azula gone._

"Ok, I'll stay at least until Zuko gets back," he agreed.

He watched as relief flooded her eyes. They walked back to the palace together.

_

* * *

_

Dear Mai,

_How are you? Is Omashu still boring with King Bumi in charge?_

_I'm all right, but since Zuko left, it's been really boring. But Aang showed up today so he, me and Iroh have been great! Just in case you didn't know, Zuko left to go and find Katara. He's chasing her back to the South Pole. He left a week ago._

_Aang and Iroh say hi and Aang says he hopes Bumi is as fun as he was one hundred years ago._

_Please write back soon and give Tom-Tom a raspberry for me!_

_Love, Ty Lee!_

The acrobat decorated the four corners of the page with smiley faces. When she was finished, she rolled up the parchment and put it in the messenger hawk's pouch. She tied a pink ribbon to the bird's leg so Mai would know it was from her and the bird took off.

* * *

"How long until we reach the Southern Village?" Zuko asked Lt. Jee.

"One more day, sir; the storm put us a day behind schedule."

The Fire Lord growled in frustration and stormed outside, onto the deck. Waiting was getting harder and harder. As he looked over the rail, he saw an island in the middle of the water. There was no other land in sight, but that island looked vaguely familiar.

"Lieutenant, what is the name of that island?" he demanded.

Jee and the rest of the crew agreed that their leader was different in many ways to what he had been in the first three years of his banishment. Nonetheless, they all agreed that one thing that hadn't changed much was his patience and his temper. He wasn't as short tempered as he had been, but there wasn't any drastic improvement.

"It's Kyoshi Island, Sir. It was one of the places we stopped at while chasing the Avatar," the man explained.

Zuko nodded to dismiss his companion and continued gazing at the island. He was almost there, he knew it. He could feel the polar chill in the air. He knew he'd only have to wait another twenty four hours.

* * *

Mai jumped when the messenger hawk flew smack, bang, into the window. She sighed and opened it as the dazed bird hopped onto the ledge. The first thing she noticed about the creature was that it had a pink ribbon tied around its leg. Her heart leapt with joy and relief.

_Ty Lee!_

She grabbed the message out of the pouch and read it. She read it three times over to make sure she had her facts right.

_So, Zuko is going after Katara,_ she thought blankly. _I guess we were just never meant to be._

She got out her ink and brush and three rolls of parchment. On the first roll she wrote;

_Dear Ty Lee,_

_I was just starting to think I would die of boredom. Nothing can match up with your bright smile and eyes and clothes. The city is way more lively with Bumi in charge, but I miss you like anything._

_If Zuko is going after Katara, then good for him. I hope they both have happy lives._

_My mum says hi. Tell Aang and Iroh that I say hi too. Tom-Tom says some sort of cute baby babble that I can't understand, but I think he means hi._ _I'm sure he'll enjoy that raspberry._

_Let me know if anything really exciting happens over there and I'll do the same._

_I'll come and visit some time, but you have to come here too,_

_Mai._

Once Mai had finished, she rolled it up and placed it in the messenger hawk's pouch. The bird flew off and Mai turned back to the other two pieces of paper on her desk.

On the next piece, she wrote;

_Zuko,_

_How's life? Ty Lee told me you were heading for the South Pole to find Katara. I won't say that I'm not jealous, but I wish you both well and I hope you are each other's happily ever afters._

_Life in Omashu isn't that bad with Bumi in charge. But it would be better if you or Ty Lee or Iroh or Azula were here too._

_Mum's coping pretty well without Dad, but we still both miss him. _

_Miss you lots. Please write back soon._

_Mai._

_P.S. Please give the other note to Katara. You aren't allowed to read it._

When she finished this letter, she turned to the third and last sheet of parchment. She chose her words carefully as she wrote.

_Katara,_

_You are a very lucky and very special girl. Zuko is yours now. Love him, treasure him, care for him and never let him go. _

_Good luck and best wishes. I hope he's your happily ever after._

_Mai._

The girl folded this letter up and rolled up the one to Zuko. She used a small clip to attach the note to Katara to the one for Zuko. She walked into the living room where her mother and Tom-Tom were playing. She knelt down and gave the toddler a big raspberry on the belly and he laughed like crazy. Then Mai looked up to her mum.

"Can I borrow your messenger hawk?"

Mai's mother nodded and her daughter went to find the bird. She slipped the two letters into its pouch and it flew away to deliver them.

"Good luck," was all she could whisper as it disappeared.

There was no changing her mind now; what was in those letters were thing that she could not longer stop from being shared. But there was one last thing Mai had to do before she could get any closer to getting over Zuko.

Back in the living room, she sat by the fireplace. While her mother was busy with Tom-Tom, she took out the letter Zuko had left her the day he had left to join the Avatar. She read the content over for the last time and tears ran silently down her cheeks.

She threw it into the fire and watched the flames consume it. The last words to disappear from her sight would be etched in her head for the rest of her life; _I will always love you. Zuko._

* * *

Katara watched wearily from her window as the people danced and sang and ate outside. She was too tired to join in the celebration for the homecoming of the warriors.

"Why so gloomy?" a man's voice spoke from behind her and she turned to see Windu, the boy she had walked back to the ship with at Kyoshi Island.

"What are you doing here?" she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I noticed you weren't at the party, so I thought I'd come up here and check on you," he shrugged.

"Well, I'm fine," Katara sighed. She continued staring out the window in silence and Windu came to stand alongside her.

"You know, it's a nice night. Maybe you should come for a walk with me," the boy suggested. "C'mon, I'll take you around to the beach. It's really calm out there tonight and the water is acting like a mirror for the sky. It's absolutely gorgeous. C'mon, you'll love it!"

Katara thought for a minute. "Why would you want to go for a walk with me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he laughed.

"Because I'm just a lonely, ugly, ordinary girl," she explained without changing her blank expression.

"What?! What did you just call yourself?!" he gasped.

Katara didn't reply, she just hung her head and kept staring out of the window.

"Katara, what are you on about? You have plenty of friends, you aren't lonely! And you are far, far, far from ugly. You're probably the most beautiful girl in the whole of the South Pole!"

"Yea, and how many teenage girls are there here again?" she asked sarcastically. "Oh, wait, there's only one! And that's me!" she turned to yell at him.

Windu looked at her in shock; he'd never had a girl snap at him like that.

"Katara, I've been all over the world…almost. I've been to Kyoshi Island, Omashu, Ba Sing Se and now, I've even been to Imperial City, and let me tell you, of all the girls I met or even just saw as I passed by, you are the most beautiful. And Katara, you are the only female waterbender in the South Pole; you are definitely not ordinary," he smiled gently at her and her expression of anger softened.

"But Windu, I –"

He put a finger to her lips and shushed her. Quicker than expected, he pressed his lips against hers and pushed her gently against the wall. Katara stayed stock still for a moment as a million thought flashed through her head.

_Oh, gosh! He's kissing me!_

_Uh, this doesn't feel right._

_But if feels good._

_But I want to be sick, how is that good?!_

_Hey, I've only just met this guy! Why is he kissing me?!_

_He likes you, obviously._

_But, wait on a sec, I don't like him! I barely know him!_

_Well, genius, GET HIM OFF OF YOU!_

Katara pushed the boy off her and stepped away from him.

"Katara, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to –"

"What are you thinking?! I've only just met you a few days ago and I haven't seen you around much since! I'm in here trying to get over my most recent boyfriend and you just come up to me and kiss me?! What are you playing at?!" Tears were gushing from the waterbender's eyes.

"Katara… I –"

"Just leave, Windu," she pointed to the door.

"But I –"

"GO!"

Windu hesitated for a moment, but as he caught the hateful glint in the girl's eyes, he knew he had gone too far and it was best he just left. So he walked quickly from the room and didn't disturb the young woman again. He went back to his own house, no longer in the mood to join in the party.

Katara locked her door and went to bed before anything else happened.

When the door creaked open a few hours later, definitely past midnight, after the celebration had settled down outside and her father's voice whispered her name, she just pretended she was asleep. But the young waterbender lay awake all night, feeling completely numb and hollow.

* * *

Zuko was interrupted from his meditating when a messenger hawk tapped on his window. He opened the window and the beast fluttered in.

"Hello, there. Is that for me?" he mumbled as he took the letter out of the pouch. He noticed a note attached to it, but decided to read the main letter first.

As soon as he opened it, he recognized Mai's handwriting and felt a pang of guilt as he realized that she had found out about his going after Katara. The rest of the letter didn't matter much to him, but he knew he should regard it anyway.

He took the note she had clipped to the letter and promised himself that he wouldn't open it.

_It's to go straight to Katara when I find her,_ he decided. He just hoped that it was nothing mean or rude from his jealous ex. He sleepily searched for his own parchment and ink and brush and quickly wrote a reply to Mai.

_Mai,_

_I'm sorry that I've broken your heart, but I'm glad you're trying to get over it. _

_I will be reaching the South Pole in a few hours after sending this and then I'll be heading back to the Fire Nation soon after that. _

_I'm glad things aren't too boring down there and just remember that you and your family are welcome back into the Fire Nation whenever you like. _

_I don't think I can really imagine life without at least one of the people you listed, but the funny thing is, it is as much a reality for me as it is for you. My only company until I reach the South Pole is my crew. So, I pretty much know how you feel, except for the fact that I have the running of a ship to keep me occupied. _

_Well, I'm also glad to hear that your mother is coping alright. I hope you are too. Give her my sympathy and let her know things will be all right from here on in._

_Ok, well, I miss you a lot. I hope to see you soon._

_Zuko._

_P.S. I promise it won't open that letter to Katara. I'll give it to her first chance I get._

Zuko read his letter over once before he gave it to the messenger hawk to deliver. The bird flew off towards the horizon just as the first light started to peek out over the ocean. Zuko smiled. The Southern Village was only a few hours away.

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**XD Hey dudes, if the Southern Village is only a few hours away, then what are you waiting for? Review! Review so I can post the next chapter and finally start wrapping up the story. Two more chapters to go! Review! Please!!! I need FOUR (4) OR NO UPDATE!!!**

**Oh, and btw, check out the little side-story I wrote (yea, another one). "Life Goes On". Please review it (I only wrote it for fun, I know most of you think it really suck).**

**And of course, JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	31. 30: The Silver Lining

**Yo folks! I had a good run this week and got my four reviews - thank you to those of you who reviewed! It made my day! So, here's another update! **_**WARNING: **_**Big lemon coming up; read at own risk ;)**

**Also, CHECK OUT 'The Dragon' AND 'Clash' BY 'CHOCOLATE THUNDER'! Chocolate Thunder rocks! Review the stories, dudes! And for the record, I'm still in a good mood from the other week when Chocolate Thunder decided to start reviewing me ;) THANK YOU FRIEND!**

**Now, Read, Review and Enjoy!**

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**30. The Silver Lining**

Katara and Sokka ate breakfast slowly as they tried not to nod off at the table and land face first in their sea prune stew. Sokka failed after five minutes and Hakoda just sighed and carried him back up to his bedroom.

"That brother of yours was out partying until three in the morning. Even your father didn't stay out that long!" Gran-Gran informed her, chuckling. "He'll be hung over. It's probably best if he stays in bed until tomorrow."

"Don't count on it, he'll be up as soon as he's able to stand on his own two feet again," Katara assured her grandmother.

Katara decided to make it her job to go down to the market area that morning and get the food. Gran-Gran had put together a list for her and given her a little more money than she should have needed. As the waterbender tried to find the ripest papaya fruit, she caught sight of Windu, just wandering away from a bread stall. He noticed her and quickly looked away, blushing deeply and attempting to avoid her completely.

She walked away from the market as quickly as she could, but as she walked back to her house, she stopped to make sure she had gotten everything.

"Three papaya fruit," she counted out loud. "A large bag of sea prunes, twelve strips of fresh seal meat, a small satchel of salt, an ice onion…" she trailed off as a group of soldiers ran past her and towards the ship docks, looking nothing less than concerned. "Master Pakku!" Katara called to the man as he passed her. He stepped out of the procession and turned to her. "What's going on?"

"There has been a Fire Navy ship spotted on the horizon. Go back to your house, Katara, and stay there. We're beginning to suspect the worst."

Katara's heart stopped cold for a split second as Pakku turned and followed the men onto the patrol ship. It was the same vessel that had come out to meet the fleet of Water Tribe Warrior when they had returned yesterday.

Many people started whispering and chattering in concern and fear as the ship headed for the gates of the city. A small bead of panic began to well within the Southern Water Tribe's people.

Katara found her senses again and quickly gathered up her shopping and sprinted back to her house, dropping the papaya fruits several times.

"Dad! Sokka! Gran-Gran! A Fire Navy ship has been spotted on the horizon and Pakku says they are suspecting the worst! Something's up, I think the Fire Nation is trying to take over again!"

"So that's where your father went off to," Gran-Gran nodded, worry edging her voice.

"But why would they suspect the worst? Zuko's on our side, remember?" Sokka – who had gotten up again while Katara had been at the market – put in. But doubt hung on his face.

"Oh, what if he's gone bad again? What if he's going to try and take over the world, just like his father did? What if –"

"Katara!" Hakoda entered the room and cut her off, "I think you should come out here."

Katara looked at her father in confusion and realized that he was smiling.

_**

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**_

A few minutes earlier, just after the patrol ship had exited the city:

"What should we do if they attack us?" Hakoda asked.

"Say our prayers; this ship wasn't built for fighting," Pakku informed him, although he remained perfectly calm.

As they came closer to the Fire Nation ship, Hakoda took note of the small group of men standing on the deck, watching the patrol ship come closer. The Chief inspected the opposing ship and took note that there were no weapons ready to fire. It wasn't a raid and it didn't look like an attack at all.

Closer and closer.

Hakoda looked at the man standing at the front of the group that was standing on the deck. He was tall with dark hair and one feature that gave away _exactly _who he was to Hakoda.

"Pakku, tell the men to rid themselves of any weapons. We won't be needing them. This is no fight, it's a visit. The Fire Lord is in our presence," Hakoda ordered, and Pakku did not defy his orders.

"What brings you to my home city, Fire Lord Zuko?" Hakoda asked coolly, curiosity ruling out all other emotion in his voice.

"I have come with some good news," Zuko smiled at the man. "Although it began as bad news, really I'm just here to share the silver lining."

Hakoda eyed the young man suspiciously; he had an inkling at the back of his mind about what was going on. He wouldn't believe it completely just like that, but at that point in time, he could think of no other reason for Zuko to be there.

_Surely this has something to do with his love with Katara._

Hakoda waited, and sure enough, Zuko asked exactly what the Chief had been expecting.

"Is Katara around, by any chance?"

Hakoda's heart skipped a beat.

"You wouldn't happen to be bringing the news that you don't have to marry that other girl, would you?"

Zuko smiled slyly at the father of the girl he loved.

"You read my mind. Mai's father died from an outburst of penta-pox in Omashu. The wedding is off and Mai has gone to Omashu to be with her mother and little brother. Of course, that means I'm free to choose who I end up with. We ran to the docks as soon as we figured that out, but you had already set sail. Then…I kinda didn't work out I could follow you until Ty Lee told me… but don't tell Ty Lee it really was her idea! I'm sure I could have figured it out myself," he smiled, half guiltily and half innocently.

Hakoda started laughing and he turned to Pakku, "Let's get back to the city. It's a false alarm, they mean no harm. Like I said, it's just a visit."

The patrol ship led the Fire Lord's ship into the city and the panicked citizens quickly got the news that it was the Fire Lord himself. Their talk became excited when they found out they were coming in peace.

"Zuko, it's probably best if you stay here. I'll go and get Katara so that she doesn't have a heart attack," Hakoda laughed.

The Fire Lord nodded and waited at the docks as Hakoda went to get his daughter and his crew became acquainted with the locals. Hakoda rushed into the house, panting, and cut Katara off while she was in the middle of speaking.

"_Katara! I think you should come out here."_

_Katara looked at her father in confusion and realized that he was smiling._

* * *

"Dad… what's going on?" she asked.

"Yea, what's this about a Fire Navy ship? Is it attacking us?" Sokka asked in confusion.

"No! They're not! But Katara, come on! You need to come and see who it is! They came here for you!" Chief Hakoda tugged at his daughter's sleeve and began to drag her out of the house.

"Wait! Dad, is it Zuko?!" Sokka asked eagerly. But the Chief and his daughter were already gone.

Hakoda covered Katara's eyes as they jogged back to the docks. She was way too tired to think of what might be waiting for her and she was way too tired to try and fight her dad off.

_Ok, Dad, you're carrying me back home when this is over, _she yawned to herself.

"Dad, answer the question! It is Zuko?!" Sokka's voice asked as he came up alongside Katara and Hakoda. But the Chief stayed quiet. "Dad!" Sokka yelled in anticipation.

"He's not going to answer you, Sokka. He wants it to be a surprise for Katara. Come on, if you're so eager to find out, why don't you run ahead of us?" Gran-Gran suggested and Katara heard her brother run ahead of the group.

"Here she comes! Here she comes!" voices called, as Katara was led towards the docks.

"Oh, I wonder what she'll say!"

"How exciting!"

"How romantic!"

"He came all this way for her!"

The women and girls of the city all seemed to be knotted up with excitement from the visitors.

"All right! All right! Let the lady through! C'mon you lot! Get out of here! Give 'em some privacy!" Sokka shouted, and Katara heard the crowd slowly dissipate.

"Dad…?" Katara asked suspiciously as they stopped.

"Jeez, Katara, you are one lucky girl. Now, I'm gonna look away so that I don't throw up. Gran-Gran, I advise you do the same, because they are gonna have a major make out scene!"

Something in Katara's mind clicked as her father's hands moved away from her face in slow motion.

_Zuko?!_

And sure enough, once her eyes had adjusted to the light, standing before her was the Fire Lord, looking nervous but confident. He smiled at her as she stood there and the last of his crew standing behind him cleared off to give them a bit more privacy.

"Uh… hi, Katara… um…" Zuko stuttered as he tried to form words.

Katara stared at him, dumbfound.

_He's here. _

_Zuko is __**here!**_

_The Fire Lord is here, trying to talk to me! _

_He's smiling at me!_

_He's blushing!_

_It's him!_

_But…_

_He's the man who broke my heart!_

_And he's right here._

_He's trying to tell me something._

"Katara, listen. I know, you… you're probably surprised to seem me… and… well, I can understand th-that. But… let me explain, that whole thing with Mai…uh…well…"

_He broke my heart._

_And now he's going to do it again!_

Katara felt something icy and cold grip her insides as Zuko stumbled over his words, and before he could say anything else, she spun on her heals and ran back towards the house, tears streaming from her eyes.

* * *

"Katara! Wait!" Zuko lunged forward to try and stop her, but she was too fast. She disappeared before he could say anything more. His legs felt frozen to the spot. He couldn't chase her.

"Wha…what happened?" Sokka asked in stunned confusion. This really wasn't fair on him; he was still hung over.

"I knew she would hate me," Zuko whispered.

"What? I'm sure she doesn't hate you! She's probably just really confused… like me!" he indicated to himself. Sokka forced a laugh, but it was too obvious it was a fake.

Zuko half smiled, but his face started going pale. "I knew I shouldn't have bothered…" He turned to get back onto his ship.

"Zuko! Wait on a sec!" Sokka grabbed his sleeve, but the firebender shook him off with ease.

_Ok, forget trying to stop him physically. That's not gonna work. Time for plan B._

Sokka followed the young man up the ramp of his ship.

"Dad, Gran-Gran, go back home and take care of Katara. I'll be back soon."

"We'll try and calm her down," Hakoda nodded and he and Gran-Gran disappeared.

"Zuko, listen to me!" Sokka ordered with determination, but Zuko kept ignoring him. "Zuko…" The Fire Lord kept walking away from the boy. "Zuko!"

"What?! I'm right here! What the hell do you want?!" he shouted as he stopped and rounded on the water boy.

Much to his hidden amazement, Sokka didn't even flinch; he was set on getting heard… that and he was still too hung over to be thinking in terms of safety, which at that point, couldn't be determined as either good or bad.

"Listen, you came all the way out here to tell my sister that you love her, right?" Sokka probed.

"Yea."

"You traveled half way around the world, just for that?"

"Yes."

"Which means you really do love her, right? Well, of course you do! I mean, if you didn't love her, then you wouldn't have done something as stupid as this!"

"Not helping!" Zuko warned.

"Zuko! Katara has been depressed since you left her! She still loves you, but she's trying so hard to forget you, because she thinks she can't be with you, and it's tearing her apart! If you don't go and tell her that you love her and heal her broken heart, she is going to break and then she will fall and she will land hard!" Sokka explained.

"It's too late, Sokka. Didn't you see her?! She just ran away from me! She hates me!" Zuko yelled.

"No, she doesn't," Sokka insisted. "She loves you! And you love her! If I know one thing, it's that you can't be with the ones you love unless you pull your finger out and push through the difficult times. If you want Katara, and you do, then you're going to have to make her realize that she loves you! I know she loves you, she's just so scared that you'll break her heart again, you have got to tell her that you won't hurt her again and that you're gonna help her get better! You need to tell her that you love her!" Sokka finished.

Zuko stood still for a moment, looking at the cold, hard, metal deck of his ship. "You're right, Sokka," he said quietly.

Sokka sighed and smiled, crossing his arms over his chest with pride. He had impressed himself with that speech.

"I have to tell Katara that I love her and I have to get her back! And I will!" Zuko smiled at the water boy.

"That's the spirit!" Sokka smiled, but then he yawned loudly. "Go reel her in, big boy…"

"Sokka…are you feeling alright?" Zuko cocked an eyebrow at the boy.

"Yea, I'm fine… just…" Sokka fell to the cold metal deck with a thump and started snoring.

"Are you hung over or something?" Zuko chortled as he lifted the boy over his shoulder with ease. Sokka mumbled something in his sleep and snuggled his face into the curve of Zuko's neck and shoulder and the Fire Lord shuddered uncomfortably.

He walked back in the direction he had seen Hakoda and Gran-Gran disappear in, the same way Katara had run. Gran-Gran was sitting outside the house with some knitting in her lap.

"Is he hung over or something?" Zuko asked again as he indicated to the sleeping boy he carried over his shoulder.

Gran-Gran chuckled, "He was up partying all night. I told him he shouldn't have gotten out of bed. This is the second time he has fallen asleep just like that. He did it at breakfast as well. Hakoda! Come and get your son! He's fallen asleep again!" the elderly woman sighed as her son-in-law came out of the house.

"Give him here." Zuko passed the sleeping Sokka to his father. "And now, you wait there."

Zuko felt a tight knot in his gut; a direct order from a girl's father wasn't always a good thing. Hakoda reappeared after a second and shut the front door to the house quietly.

"Is… is Katara alright?" he asked meekly.

"I'm not so sure. She ran straight up to her room and locked the door. She won't open the door and no matter what we say to her, the only thing she says back is _go away_ or _leave me alone_. She's still crying," the chief explained.

Zuko bit his bottom lip; he knew this was going to be hard. But it had to be done. "Can I please try and talk to her?" he asked, half expecting Hakoda to say no.

"Suit yourself, but try not to make her any worse. Her room is up the stairs, second door on the left," Hakoda indicated and stepped aside to let the young man in. "Good luck."

Hakoda and Gran-Gran stayed outside and Zuko slowly and quietly made his way up the stairs. He made sure he had his orientation right before he knocked on the second door to the left. He hoped that he hadn't gotten the wrong room.

"Go away, Dad… Gran-Gran… Sokka… whoever that is…" Katara's sad voice sobbed from the other side of the door.

Zuko hesitated to answer.

_Maybe I should just wait a while for her to calm down…_

_No! You have to do this now._

"K-Katara?"

His voice silenced her immediately.

"Can I come in?"

No answer.

Zuko thought for a moment. This was really tricky. "Katara, please listen to me. I came all the way here just to talk to you. Will you listen to me?"

She still didn't answer, but Zuko could hear her raspy breathing.

_Uh, this is going to take a while, isn't it?_

Zuko sighed and leant against the door. "Katara, listen, I didn't come all the way back here just to break your heart. I… I came here to fix it," he told her, hoping she would believe him.

He still received no answer, but he could still hear her in there.

_Well, at least I know she's listening._

"Katara, I'm here to tell you that I love you, and I want to be with you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And it's true; I really do."

Katara was still silent except for her breathing.

"But… I told you that we couldn't be together because I was in an arranged marriage with Mai."

Zuko heard Katara take a deep breath and hold it.

"The thing is, Mai got a letter that night from her mother, and it held the news that her father had died from a penta-pox breakout in Omashu. And surely you know what that means."

Katara stayed silent.

"It means I _can_ be with you."

_

* * *

_

_A penta-pox breakout in Omashu? Sounds believable; Windu told me that his girlfriend Kiki was killed too._

_Don't fall for it, Katara; he will only break your heart again._

"Katara?" Zuko asked.

The waterbender sat up and looked at the door separating the two of them.

_What am I suppose to think? Should I trust him?_

_No, don't let him fool you! You'll get hurt!_

_But I'm hurt right now as well._

_It will get worst if you go back to him._

So many confusing thought rushed through Katara's mind and she found herself lost.

"Katara, I love you. Won't you come back to me?" Zuko pleaded, and she could hear that he was on the verge of tears.

Slowly, Katara found her voice, "Zuko…?"

"Yes?" he answered quickly, begging her to keep talking to him.

"I…I…"

"Katara, I love you. I don't care if you run away from me a thousand times and a thousand times again; it's not going to change. Please, come back to me," he said, voice trembling.

"Zuko…" She hesitated for a moment while she tried to think of what to say next, but there were so many things running through her mind that she didn't know which ones were right and which ones were wrong, "I… I can't be with you."

"Katara –!"

"You hurt me so much when you left me for Mai…"

"Wait! Please, listen to me!"

"I don't think I'll be able to love again for a long time…"

"But Katara…" Zuko felt tears stinging at his eyes. "I…I love you… more than anything."

Katara sobbed loudly and quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"K-Katara, I… I need you…I didn't mean to hurt you…"

Katara tried to figure out the knots of tangled thought inside her head.

"If it had been up to me, Mai and I would never ever have been in an arranged marriage…I didn't have any say in it… I swear I didn't…" There was silence for a few seconds and Zuko let out a long breath, "Katara, I love you," he repeated.

The waterbender shook her head slowly as she lay on her bed, her face buried in her cushions. "No, Zuko, you don't love me. You just say that, but in your head, you hate me because I'm ugly…" she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear here. "Or else… you wouldn't have gone back to Mai…you would have stayed if I was pretty like her…"

"Katara…!" he gasped in disbelief.

"And it's true…" She breathed in, harshly. "I _am_ ugly…and I'm not worth you…"

"Wait, Katara, don't –"

"So just go… because I'm not worth it… just go… go back to Mai…" Katara started to cry heavily.

Zuko leant against the door, feeling sick at the thought of what the girl had been putting herself through because of all of this. Right then and there, he promised himself that he would make everything better. He couldn't stand Katara being like this and it wasn't right.

"K-Katara… how could you say that?! That's the biggest load of rubbish I have ever heard!" His tone was steady and determine, but he knew that it wasn't going to last long. "You are _not_ ugly, do you hear me?!"

Katara moaned in her misery and tried to block out his words, afraid he might hurt her with them. But she couldn't do it.

"You are the most beautiful girl in the world and I really do love you."

Katara's sobs subsided for a moment, and she wasn't sure whether she should keep trying to block out his words or try harder to listen.

"I was in an arranged marriage with Mai and that's the only reason I went back to her. I didn't have a choice or else I wouldn't have… I don't love Mai. But… her father died and now the wedding is off… because it was no longer inescapable…and I still love you. Ha, it's like your brother said to me earlier; if I wasn't so in love with you, why would I have done something like come half way around the world – _and_ leave the Fire Nation in the hands of my _uncle_ – just to tell you a lie? Why would I do that? Only a guy who is head over heals in love with a girl would do something like that, and I am definitely head over heals for you, Katara."

Katara sat up and rubbed tears out of her eyes as she listened to Zuko's words. Suddenly, everything started making sense. Half of the thought streaming through her head disappeared, as if they never existed, and the ones that remained made her stop crying and listen.

"Katara, you are the most beautifullest, amazingest girl in the world and I love you so much. I came half way around the world to tell you how I feel and win your heart and ask you to come back to the Fire Nation with me, because I want you to be my Fire Lady, and I'm not planning to go home without you," he told her solemnly.

Katara smiled to herself and played with her hair, making it fall loose around her shoulders, leaving the bun and braid she had began to wear it in again since she had gotten home. Her chocolate ringlets fell about her face and she wiped away the last of her tears.

"Katara, please, I'm _begging_ you to come back to me," Zuko's voice began to quaver again.

Katara stood up, she wanted to go and open the door.

_But then what? What am I going to say to him? _

_Nothing; I couldn't possibly tell him what I'm feeling right now in words._

_Then I won't use words._

"Katara, I'll do anything for you. Absolutely anything if it will let me win your heart and let you be happy. I'll do whatever it takes," the Fire Lord promised.

Katara smiled as an idea hit her and she slowly untied the sash that kept her robes together.

"I'd go to the ends of the earth for you," Zuko breathed.

She dropped the sash to the ground and shrugged her robes off. She shivered in her underwear.

"I'd die a thousand deaths to save you," he vowed.

She slowly unraveled her breast-bindings and slid her underwear off and walked over to the door.

"I'll do anything," Zuko whispered, hoping that she'd believe him.

Katara took one deep breath and turned the door handle.

Zuko stopped leaning against the door as it swung open and as soon as he saw Katara he looked away, half thinking he was only imagining her standing there like that.

"Zuko?"

"Yea?" he slowly turned to look at her again, but he looked right into her deep ocean blue eyes.

"Do you really, truly love me?" she asked, looking into his burning golden eyes.

"Yes, of course I do. If I didn't, I don't think I'd be standing here right now," he said.

Katara smiled at him for a moment and Zuko could feel his heart melting and something stirred inside of him, like some hungry animal, waiting to be set free so it could feed.

Suddenly, he could feel Katara's hand in his and she led him into the room. He shut the door behind him and looked breathlessly at the goddess in front of him.

"Katara…"

"Ssshhh…" She put a finger to his lips and drew her body up to his.

His stomach did a summersault and he found himself being lulled into ecstasy.

Her arms gently wrapped themselves around his neck and his snaked around her waist. Katara gently pressed her lips to his and Zuko was sure he was dissolving as he tasted their familiar sweetness. He closed his eyes and held her tight.

When she removed her lips from his, her lips traveled up his jaw bone, to his ear.

"I love you too, Zuko," she told him.

Zuko rested his head on her shoulder and she did the same to him.

The hungry animal inside of Zuko's stomach lurched and growled and screamed for more, and it was an urge that Zuko could not resist. He started kissing her neck, slowly, gently, traveling up to her ear, along her jaw, back to her lips.

Katara pulled him in tighter and the chill in the air became unreal to her. Everything was warm, very warm.

She didn't hesitate to remove his shirt as they moved steadily and slowly towards the bed. Zuko pulled her tighter and tighter to him as their kiss became deeper and more passionate. They had started slow and now they were moving fast. Very fast. Too fast to slow down.

Katara fell backwards onto the bed and the Fire Lord fell on top of her, refusing to let his grip slip. He would not let her go. The animal had caught his prey, and now it was time to feed.

Katara moaned as his hands ran up her back and she pulled him closer to her. Panting with ecstasy, she reached for the waistband of his pants. He breathed heavily as she slipped them off of him. He completely pinned her down on the bed and she moaned as the pressure between her legs built up.

Zuko forced his tongue into her mouth and her stomach clenched under his hand.

She moaned as he started tracing kisses along her neck, started kissing whatever skin his lips came in contact with, almost violently. She returned the favour by pulling his muscular body closer and closer to hers, never letting him go.

No matter what happened from then on, Katara knew that Zuko would stay with her. Forever.

**

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**

That was especially to all my fellow Zutara fans out there! Woot!

**XD That was a fun chapter to write. I hope you all enjoyed it! Now, please review and tell me what you thought, and make sure you do that because I need four (4) reviews before next Sunday, or I won't tell you how the story ends. Yes, that's right folks, next chapter is THE LAST CHAPTER/EPILOGUE! You wanna know how this one ends? C'mon, the sooner you let me end this story, the sooner I'll be able to give you the sequel! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease review! (lemur eyes!)**

**Oh, and JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!!!**


	32. 31: Epilogue: Sozin's Comet

**Yay! Last chapter! Thank you to people for giving me reviews! I love you all and you're all going to get your names at the end of this chapter! Special people... anyway! Now that I've finished this story, I'm going to be having a break. I might post one of my other stories instead of moving right onto a sequel (sorry dudes, I need a break from this one or I'll get bored half way through, pass out, leave you all hanging in the wrong place and then get all caught up in my school work and stuff and then I'll be screwed. you don't want me to get screwed, do you?). **

**So until then, read, review and ENJOY THE END OF BOOK 1 OF THE BELOVED SERIES!**

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* * *

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**31. Epilogue: Sozin's Commet**

"Katara?" Zuko whispered into her hair as the last of the sunlight outside disappeared and the bedroom plunged into darkness.

"Mmm?"

"Will you marry me?" he asked quietly, as he kissed her neck.

Katara smiled her beautiful smile and leant into his embrace. "Yes, I will," she yawned.

Zuko smiled in satisfaction, but the little voice at the back of his mind told him he was forgetting something. It took a moment before it clicked.

"Hey, I've got something for you. I don't know what it says but… here you go." He rummaged around on the floor near the bed trying to find his shirt without leaving the bed. He found it and gathered it up, searching each of his pockets – there were only two – until he found what he was looking for.

He handed a piece of paper to Katara; the note from Mai. She took it, feeling confused and read over the message. After a moment, she smiled and looked back at Zuko. She pressed her lips to his once more and then rested her head on his chest.

"I love you, Zuko," she reminded him.

Everything was perfect.

* * *

"Hey, Gran-Gran, is dinner ready?" Sokka asked as he lumbered down from his bedroom.

"Almost," she nodded.

"I'll take it that Zuko and Katara ended up working things out," he half laughed, casting an uncertain look over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't know; I've been outside since he came over to talk to her until I came in to make dinner. You should ask your father when he comes back from his shift on patrol. He went inside and told me that he was going to go and see if Zuko was making any progress with talking to her, he ran back outside five seconds after he had disappeared and started laughing like a hyena-kookaburra-bat-money! So, I'd say they got up to something."

"Well, on my way down, I walk passed her room and they're chatting away in there. By the sounds of it, they're both on the bed… or in it."

Gran-Gran smacked Sokka hard over the back of the head for saying it.

"It's none of your business what they get up to! Keep your nose down. According to what your father told me he heard coming from your room the night before you docked at Kyoshi Island, you're not completely innocent yourself. So mind you don't go being a hypocrite or you'll go without dinner for a week!" she warned him.

"Hey, what's going on down here? Sokka, what did you do this time to make Gran-Gran give you a threat like that?" Katara chimed as she walked up behind him; Zuko followed her, rubbing his eyes to make them adjust to the light.

"I was just telling him to stay out of your business. It's none of his business what you get up to, Katara, especially not with your boyfriend," Gran-Gran laughed; she quite liked young love, even though she didn't seem the type.

"Correction," Katara pointed, "fiancé."

Sokka gasped and his bottom jaw hit the floor.

Gran-Gran goggled, "Fiancé?!"

"That's right!" Katara smiled as she leant back on Zuko.

"You… you two are getting married?!" Sokka gaped.

"Yup," Zuko nodded. "Isn't it great?!"

"So, Katara let me get this straight. One second, you're running away from him, then you start making out with him and then you agree to marry him?!"

"Pretty much!"

Sokka stared blankly at his sister for a long while, until Hakoda entered the kitchen with a yawn that he cut short at the sight of Zuko and Katara.

"Oh, hi, Chief," Zuko greeted him.

Hakoda put his hands on his hips and wore a sly smile, "Bad hair day, huh?"

Zuko felt himself go red and Gran-Gran and Sokka started laughing. Katara tried to stifle a snort and he turned to her.

"It's not that bad, is it?" he asked.

But she kept chuckling and slowly, she couldn't help but double over. Zuko and Hakoda slowly joined in laughing and by the end, Zuko was sure he was as red as a tomato.

* * *

"So, will you be leaving with Zuko later on today, Katara?" Sokka asked his little sister.

"No-duh!"

"Oh… well, I'm gonna miss you then," he sighed.

Katara stopped and stood stock still for a moment, "What do you mean, you'll miss me?"

"Well, I mean, seeing as you won't be at the South Pole anymore, I'm gonna miss you being here," he shrugged.

"What are you on about? You're coming with me!" she almost laughed.

"I-I… what?!"

"I talked it over with Zuko already. You're coming back to the Fire Nation with us and we're gonna pick up Suki on the way!"

"Are you freakin' serious?!"

"She sure as hell is. Ok, I think we need to start a swear jar on the ship," Zuko thought out loud as he came up behind them.

"Are you serious? You'll take me with you?! And we'll get Suki on the way?!"

"That's right," Zuko smiled and nodded at his future brother-in-law.

"Woo-hoo!" Sokka jumped and punched the air.

"Go and get your things ready, Sokka."

He didn't need telling twice.

_Suki, here I come!_

* * *

Suki grunted in annoyance as someone pounded on her bedroom door. It was midday, but she still felt tired as ever.

"Dad… go away… I'm trying to sleep…" she whined.

"Suki! Suki! C'mon, let me in!" a young man's excited voice called from the other side of the door.

The Kyoshi Warrior's head shot up. "Sokka? Sokka!" She jumped out of her bed and threw the door open. She jumped at the water boy and flung her arms around him with a joyful cry. "Sokka, I missed you so much!" she sobbed and laughed at the same time. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm here to take you away and marry you," he told her simply.

"Already?! So, things have already settled down over at the South Pole?" she asked in amazement.

"Pretty much. All that needed getting used to was the men all being home. Everything else is perfect!" he explained.

"Sokka, that's great! But… how did you get here? Surely you're not here on your own," she asked.

"Come outside and I'll explain."

Sokka led the Kyoshi Warrior outside and her eyes were greeted with a smiling Katara and Zuko. Zuko's ship bobbed on the waves beyond the beach, just within view.

"Wha… what's going on?" she asked in confusion. "Zuko, did you come to get Sokka and Katara and me to come and be with you when you and Mai get married?"

"Nope! Better!" Katara answered her. "He came all the way to the South Pole to ask _me_ to marry him! And we thought we'd take you and Sokka back to the Fire Nation with us too!" she smiled.

Suki gaped, "You're getting married to Zuko?! But…I thought Zuko had to marry Mai."

Suki was obviously confused and she didn't think it was fair. The fact that she was tired didn't help.

"Actually, there's some good news. Well, actually, it's bad news, but it has a silver lining," Sokka explained. "Mai's dad died; that's the bad news. The good news –"

"Or silver lining… whatever you wanna call it," Zuko butt in.

"Yes, thank you, Zuko. The good news is that it means that Zuko and Mai were allowed to cancel their marriage! And because Zuko doesn't love Mai and she says that she can't be happy with him unless he loves her back, they decided to cancel it! So, Zuko came and asked Katara to marry him and Mai's gone to Omashu to be with her mum and little brother."

Everyone was silent for a moment while they waited for Suki to decide what her statement about the news would be.

"Well… that's… good… in some ways… too bad for Mai's family though, that's very sad… but… congratulations! Zuko! Katara! Wow! That's… that's…uh… that's great!" she smiled widely.

"Thanks, Suki," Katara said, giving her a hug.

"So, you guys want me and Sokka to come back to the Fire Nation with you?" Suki asked.

"Yup!"

"That's right!"

"Cool, sounds good," she nodded. She turned and winked at Sokka.

"Uh, Zuko… before we move on, will Suki and I actually be able to get married in the Fire Nation, even thought neither of us were born there?"

"Yea, I don't see why not. Anyway, I'm the Fire Lord! If there was some sort of rule preventing it, I could easily get rid of it."

Suki and Sokka caught up with each other on the deck of the ship as they sailed off into the sunset. His arms stayed wrapped around her waist and he spoke gently into her hair.

Katara left them be and looked for Zuko. She found him sitting at his desk in his room, several pieces of parchment in front of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Writing letters," he replied, without looking up.

"Who to?"

"Well, this one is just a reply to a letter I just got from Mai. She says that her mother has decided that she's gonna move the family back to Imperial City. I'm just letting Mai know that I'll probably be there after she is," he smiled at her.

"That's nice. Who else are you writing to?"

"Well, this letter _was_ for Aang. I was gonna ask him if he wanted to come back to the city for the weddings, but I just got a letter from Ty Lee saying that he's already there. So I'm sending a letter to Ty Lee to let her know to keep him there and that I'm coming back and that you're with me." Zuko held up the letter he had received and the two he had written.

"And the one you just finished writing now? Who is that to?"

"I'm writing it to Toph's parents. Because Toph can't read, I thought I'd write it to her folks instead, just to ask if she'd be allowed to come as well. I think it would be nice to have everyone there, don't you? Like, everyone except Azula, of course. And your dad and grandmother. I'm gonna invite The Duke, Teo and Haru as well."

"Now, just remember that they said they _might_ come. Gran-Gran isn't use to moving about so much. If she stays home, Dad will stay to take care of her. But they said they're sorry if they can't come. But don't worry, it's a perfectly understandable cause," Katara dismissed the thought.

Zuko nodded in agreement to her words.

Katara got the messenger hawks for him and he sent the letters to Mai, Ty Lee and Toph. The three birds disappeared quickly as the sun, once again, set.

* * *

"Mai! Welcome back! I missed you so much!" Ty Lee ran to her friend and wrapped her arms around her.

"Yea, hi. I missed you too," Mai answered in her usual gloomy tone. "Is Zuko back yet?"

"No, not yet. But I got a letter from him this morning; he's on his way back and Katara, Sokka and Suki are with him. It's too bad that Sokka and Suki are together, I really liked him," the acrobat sighed.

"Cheer up. C'mon, help us get this stuff back to my house."

Ty Lee assisted Mai and her mother with getting their belongings back to Mai's house. Aang and Iroh came by and helped them after a while and they all had dinner together.

After dinner, Iroh challenged Ty Lee to a game of Pai Sho and she accepted. As they played – Iroh, of course, winning – Tom-Tom played with the spare pieces and his mother made sure he didn't swallow any.

Mai found Aang out side, sitting on the balcony.

"Careful, don't fall off," she sighed.

"I'll be fine."

Mai cocked an eyebrow at him and stood beside him, "What's got you in a bad mood?"

Aang didn't reply for a moment, he just frowned and looked guilty.

"Is it Katara?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think I can let go of her. How are you handling not being with Zuko?" he looked up at her.

"I'm just trying to forget about my love life with him altogether. It hurts, I'll admit that, but if he doesn't love me, then we aren't meant to be together. I could never have been happy with him if he didn't love me back, so I'm kinda glad we were able to call the marriage off. But if we aren't suppose to be together, that can only mean that I'm meant to end up with someone else," she shrugged.

"I guess… you're right. But it still hurts, doesn't it?"

Mai nodded and her face showed a hint of misery – something rare, Aang knew.

"But don't worry about it. If you're not with Katara you're meant to be with someone else. I know it's gonna be hard, but we need to let go of them," she explained simply.

"I know, Mai." Aang stood up from where he was and hopped down from the balcony. He turned to the girl and bowed. "Thank you for talking with me."

He left her alone up there and Mai just turned and stared blankly up at the moon.

* * *

"Toph?"

"Mrrph…"

"Sweetie, wake up," Mrs. Bei Fong prodded her with a finger.

"Five more minutes…"

"Don't you want to know what the Fire Lord as asked us to let you do?" She pretended to be shocked and Toph sat bolt upright.

"The Fire Lord?! What does Zuko want?!"

Her mother held up the sheet of paper that was the letter she had received from Zuko.

"It says; _Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, I would like to ask that you let Toph return to the Fire Nation. I'm getting married soon and Katara and I think it would be great to have her there. You would both be welcome to come as well, if you wish, but please let Toph come. It would mean everything to us for her to be there. Thank you very much, regards, Fire Lord Zuko._"

"Wow! Mum, can I go?! Can I go?! Please?! Zuko's like a big brother to me!" Toph begged as she bounced up and down on her bed.

"Calm down child! Of course you can go," her mother agreed.

"Oh! Thank you, Mum!" Toph hugged the woman. "Are you and Dad gonna come too?"

"No, we'll let you do this on your own. Anyway, we don't know these people very well. You can go on your own and stay as long as you want. But keep writing to us. I want to know that my baby is safe and not have to wait until you return like last time; I was so worried!"

"Oh, no problem. Wait, hold on a sec, read that sentence again! I'm getting married soon and _who _and I think it would be great to have me there?!"

Mrs. Bei Fong searched the letter for the line, "and Katara and I think –"

"Katara?! What's Katara got to do with any of this?! He getting married to Mai…unless –" Toph gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. "TYhey must have found a way that he doesn't have to marry Mai and he's decided to go and marry Katara instead!"

"Huh? What's going on?" her mother asked in confusion.

"Zuko was in an arranged marriage with a girl called Mai, but he was in love with Katara. You've met Katara before, when the Avatar first came here! Anyway, she loved him too, but he was in an arranged marriage. They must have found some way to call it off so that they could get married!"

"Oh, that sounds pretty dramatic. I hope they all get along nicely," the woman commented.

"Don't worry, Mum, they will. Trust me," she smiled with a hint of mischief.

"Alright, well, if you get up, you can start packing your things and we'll send you off."

"Sure thing, Mum!" Toph jumped out of bed and got ready to leave.

As she packed her clothes into a bag, her mother reminded her, "Make sure you write!"

"I will."

Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong took their daughter down to the docks that afternoon and she boarded a ship.

"Goodbye Mum! Goodbye Dad!" she yelled from the railings as they set off, waving blindly in her parent's general direction.

"Goodbye Toph! We'll miss you!"

"Bye-bye Sweetie! Come back soon!"

After a while, Toph headed to her cabin and lay on her bed. It was such a relief that her parents understood her now. It felt so good to be able to do something fun. It comforted her so much that they trusted her and loved her so much.

Switching thoughts, she thought of the people she was about to be reunited with.

_I can't wait to see Zuko again! I missed him so much! And Sokka and Suki will be there too! I wonder if Twinkletoes will be there… well, if he is, I'll have someone my age to bug! And Katara! She and Zuko are gonna be together! That's so great! But, I have to wonder how Mai feels about this. Oh, well! For now, things are looking pretty good._

* * *

"Sir, we will be making port in half an hour," the helmsman informed Zuko as he and Katara walked into the Navigation Room.

"Good. Being on this ship is starting to remind me of chasing Aang. It's starting to creep me out," he admitted and Katara giggled.

"I'll admit it, when we saw your ship coming towards us, we thought you were trying to stir trouble at first!" she laughed.

"Oh… sorry," he smiled nervously.

The helmsman cleared his throat loudly to make sure they knew he was still there and Zuko quickly got back to business.

"Alright... Lieutenant Jee! Make sure everyone in the boiler knows that we're meant to be slowing down," he ordered.

"Right away, Sir," the man nodded and left to fulfill his instructions.

"Katara, go and get your brother and Suki. Let them know to be ready to get off the ship."

Katara smiled and left to find her brother and almost sister-in-law.

"Are you guys packed and ready?" she asked when she found them in their room.

"All set!"

"Good. We're making port in a few minutes," she told them.

They nodded and began to get their things out on deck. When Katara went back up on deck, she found Zuko, already there with her brother and Suki and the men who had completed their jobs on the ship.

Looking ahead of the ship – which was moving at a very slow pace at that moment – she spotted Iroh, Mai, Ty Lee and Aang, waiting for them on the docks. Ty Lee was literally bouncing, Iroh seemed to be bobbing up and down as he waved. Aang seemed pretty casual and Mai just stood there.

"Hi Uncle!" Zuko shouted to him as the anchor went down.

"Hello, my Nephew! Did you have a nice trip?"

Zuko jumped down from the ship and landed neatly on the dock before the ramp was put down and he ran to hug his uncle.

"Aw, Zuzu missed his uncle," Katara teased, as she watched from the deck. She followed Lieutenant Jee, Sokka and Suki down the ramp and onto the docks.

"Hey Katara!" Aang greeted her.

"Hi Aang!" She hugged him tight for a moment and then straightened up and stood beside Zuko. "I missed you."

"Missed you too," he smiled weakly.

"Hey, Zuko! I missed you!" Ty Lee screamed in his ear as she flung herself onto him.

"I had no doubt…" he rolled his eyes as he hugged her back.

"Hello, Katara. Hello Sokka and Suki," Iroh greeted them.

"Hi!"

"Hi Katara," Mai sighed.

Katara frowned for a moment; she didn't look to happy. Then she smiled and hugged Mai, "I'm sorry… I mean, thank you…uh… you decide which one I should be saying!" she giggled.

"Whichever. Doesn't worry me," Mai shrugged. "Hey, Zuko."

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Not bad." She gave him a small hug – at least, compared to Ty Lee's – and they all started heading back to the palace.

"Hey… Zuko, were did your uncle go?" Ty Lee asked.

Everyone stopped and looked around. Sure enough, the Great Dragon of the West had disappeared.

Zuko sighed, "Don't worry. He probably raced ahead of up to go drink some tea."

This made everyone laugh – except for Mai, who just smiled wider than usual.

"I'm gonna tell him you said that," a girl's voice chimed from behind them.

They all turned quickly to see a blind girl dressed in green standing there, smirking at Zuko.

"Toph! You came!" he smiled and ran to her to hug her.

"Hey! What's up?" she laughed.

"Hi, Toph!" Katara shouted.

"Good to see you, Toph!" Aang waved.

"Wish I could say the same for you, Twinkletoes," she sighed sarcastically.

Katara, Suki, Zuko, Ty Lee and Aang laughed at her joke. Mai shrugged, but smiled and Iroh appeared beside her.

"I wanted the fact that she was here to be a surprise for all of you, so I ran back here to get her to surprise you," he smiled.

"Thanks, Uncle. It was a nice surprise," Zuko smiled.

"Good to see you, Toph," Suki smiled.

They all sat down in a guest room to start talking and Sokka was the first one to open his mouth.

"Hey! I just got that joke, Toph! Ha, ha! Ha, ha! Ha…" He looked around to see everyone cocking their eyebrows at him.

"What? It… it was funny," he said.

"Late reaction much," Suki rolled her eyes.

"You're gonna need to make him get use to understanding jokes," Katara laughed.

"Hey! I understand jokes just fine!" he snapped. "I'm just a little tired, that's all!"

"Why are you tired?" Zuko smirked. "What were you and Suki doing last night, Sokka?"

"OOOOOHHHHH!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Yea, Sokka, what were you two up to last night?!"

"Oh!" Suki scoffed. "You guys are so sick minded!"

"I'm just glad you two are getting married after it!" Katara informed her.

"Ha! How do you think I felt when you told me that you and Zuko were getting married?!" Sokka punched her in the arm.

"Now, about all of that. Would someone _please_ tell me what's with that? I thought Zuko was marrying Mai! What happened to the arranged marriage?!" Toph asked.

"My dad died," Mai explained. "Which meant that we were allowed to call the wedding off. So we did and now he's gone back to Katara. Congratulations, by the way, to both of you." Mai nodded at Zuko and Katara.

"Thanks!" they both answered.

"Anyways, as we were saying before…" Toph smirked again, this time at Sokka. "What _were_ you and Suki doing last night?"

* * *

"Katara, promise that you won't tell anyone!" Suki begged, half laughing.

"I won't! I won't! Oh… can I tell Zuko?"

"NO!" Suki shouted, but then she clapped a hand over her mouth and looked around again to make sure no one was listening. "You can't tell anyone! I didn't want to tell anyone until after we got married, but… I just can't wait that long! I had to tell someone and I trust you to keep a secret from your brother. I wanted him to be the first to know, but I didn't want to tell him until after we got married!"

"Oh… alright. I won't tell anyone. But dam you, Suki! I'm gonna be an aunty!"

"Yea, well, I'm gonna be a mum," she sighed.

"And you're gonna be fat!" she laughed and pointed at Suki's belly.

"Yea, shut up."

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Zuko asked as he walked into the room.

"Nothing!" Katara assured him with a cheesy smile.

"Just girl talk," Suki told him.

"Right, in that case, please don't fill me in on the details."

"We won't!"

Katara followed Zuko to bed and Suki went to her own room where Sokka was.

"So, were you two really talking about girl stuff?" he asked as they lay down together.

"Don't worry about it, Zuko. I won't tell you now, but you'll find out in a few months," Katara promised him, pecking him on the cheek.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

"So, Zuko, did you and Katara have a proper make out session yet?" Toph asked impatiently.

"Mmm… you could say that," he smiled.

"Oh! When?! And what do you mean by _could_?"

"When I got to the South Pole and asked her to marry me we were in her room and…"

"Ooooooh. I see," Toph nodded slowly.

"Uh, no you don't. You're blind, remember?" Zuko nudged her lightly in the ribs.

Toph gave him a dead arm, "Don't be smart with me or I'll give you an earth pillar in the ribs like when you burned my feet!"

"Yes Miss!" he answered quickly.

But Toph smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, "I missed you, Zuko."

"I missed you too," he smiled, scruffing up her hair.

"Do you miss Azula?"

Zuko was silent for a moment and Toph decided that she shouldn't have said anything.

"I miss everyone I've lost, Toph. And out of all of those people, Azula is probably the one I miss the most."

"Who else have you lost that comes so close with Azula that you can't tell the feelings apart?" she asked.

Zuko knew that she was only curious.

"I lost my mum. If I had never found out the truth about Azula, I'd easily say I missed Mum more. But now that I know Azula actually loved me and helped me…" He shrugged at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry you lost them," Toph whispered.

Zuko smiled sadly at her. "Toph, promise me something."

"What?"

"Don't give up your life to save mine," he told her.

They looked at each other for a moment and hesitation streaked across her face, as plain as day.

Biting her lip, she nodded slowly, "Uh… ok. But that means that you're not allowed to die for me either. And it also means that you have to keep out of life threatening situations when I'm around."

Zuko pulled her into a tight hug, "If I'm your big brother, then it's my job to save your butt when it needs saving… but if that's the way it has to be… then fine. I won't die for you, but I'll get as close to it as I need to."

Toph sighed, "Deal."

Zuko kissed her on the forehead and she hugged him.

* * *

"And there you have it guys. Sozin's Comet," Sokka sighed as they stood in the garden, looking up at the sky.

"Wow, I don't get it. How can something that seems so beautiful and peaceful be so dangerous?" Katara wondered out loud as she watched the ball of flames travel across the sky, silently.

"I dunno, but what everyone was saying must be true about it giving firebenders the strength of a thousand suns. I can feel the energy," Zuko commented.

"Ok, just don't burn us all to a crisp," Mai sighed.

"He wouldn't do that, would you Zuko?!" Ty Lee laughed.

"Temptation is strong…" he murmured and Suki started laughing.

"That was mean!"

"What did he say?" Iroh asked.

"He said that it's too bad that I can't see it," Toph interrupted.

"Oh, that's so thoughtful of you!" Ty Lee laughed.

"Very tempting…" Suki and Toph started laughing and everyone else eventually joined in, simply because of how ridiculous they looked.

* * *

Azula, Yue and Ursa laughed as they stood around the rim of the well which led to the human world as they watched the group of humans watching the comet pass through the darkening sky. It passed over the sky and disappeared and the world the women were looking over plunged into blackness, the sun having already set.

"Everything's perfect now. They're all happy," the Moon Spirit commented.

"I wish we could have been there with them," Azula sighed.

Ursa stayed silent as she watched her son and Katara cuddling by the turtle-duck pond as the others all went inside.

"They had to go through so much to end up happy. I was actually starting to think that they weren't going to be able to end up together," Yue admitted.

Azula turned to her mother, "You knew they were going to all end up happy and like this, didn't you?"

Ursa smiled sadly, "It's not over."

The two princesses looked back into the well in confusion and Ursa made the image change by dipping her hand into the surface of the water and giving it a gentle swish.

The three spirit women looked down on Ba Sing Se and the well showed the underground city.

They all watched and Azula gasped in horror.

Long Feng sat on an earthen throne, his Dai Li agents surrounding him loyally. But bowing at his feet was the man that, even in her spirit form, made Azula's blood turn cold.

They all listened to what was being said.

"I can help you overthrow the Fire Lord. I can help you rule the world," Admiral Shang smirked, as he bowed to the leader of the Dai Li.

Long Feng smiled evilly, "I'm listening..."

* * *

**Dun-dun-dun! Cliffie! How evil am I? So, listen folks, I want reviews for this chapter, or not only will I not be happy, but I will never post any of the sequels! So, if I don't post the sequels, you won't find out the rest of the story, right? Aw, how sad would that be, especially for me, cuz I've been doing a lot of planning for the future books in the Beloved series! So review, and make sure you do, and I'll love you, and you'll eventually find out what happens next in the lives of our heroes!**

**And now, ladies and gentlemen! Here comes the big thank you note to everyone who reviewed. So, thank you very, very, very, very, very, very much, and lots of love to:**

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**Hey, I love all of you guys to bits! Big hugs and cookies to you all for being awesome!**

**Also, I'm gonna make a commercial for Beneath the Earth (the sequel). If you want to see it, let me know in a review and I'll send it to you within the next two weeks, as soon as I've made it! XD **

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